BC Islanders express concerns about anchorages amid increased ship traffic

Some residents of BC’s southern Gulf Islands have expressed concern that congestion at the Port of Vancouver has increased the number of ships moored in the area.

That comes as the port conducts a series of consultations with island communities on a proposed pair of mechanisms aimed at reducing conflict.

There are currently 33 commercial vessel anchorages between Cowichan Bay and Gabriola Island on Vancouver Island, designated for ships waiting to load and unload at the port.

Concerned residents say these anchorages amount to overflow parking lots, and the busier they get, the greater the potential environmental impact.

“We had one ship in Cowichan Bay for 84 days this summer,” said Peter Holmes of the Cowichan Bay Ship Watch Association.

“And they are now spreading this across the islands, thus impacting even more communities … and believe it is time to make a statement about keeping them out of here. .”

This week, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is holding open houses at Pender Island, Cowichan Bay and Ladysmith, where residents are invited to consider a draft “Anchorage Code of Conduct” for ships and information sharing and the port’s approach. Complaint resolution.

“We really want to develop a system that works for the community,” Sri Madiwal, harbor master and director of marine operations at the Port Authority, told Global News.

“We understand the impact on communities and the environment, and we want to ensure that whatever system we develop, we consider those impacts and provide mitigation measures.”

Madiwal believes the increasing number of ships requiring anchorage is due to a variety of factors, from supply chain issues and last year’s storms to increased trade and security.

Port authorities are currently reviewing a $3 billion plan to build a massive new Three Berths container terminal next to Delta’s existing Westshore and Roberts Bank terminals.

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But critics such as Pender Island resident Bruce McConchie, member of the Plumper Sound Protection Association, said vessel numbers were out of control and the port was trying to deal with congestion rather than make overflow permanent. says it should.

“Around 2009, there were a total of about 27 ships anchored in all areas of the Gulf Islands. He said.

“They call it a community consultation, but I call it more… a pretty clever sales and marketing initiative to convince us islanders of the fact that the Port of Vancouver can continue to use these anchorages. increase.”

An increase in shipping comes with a corresponding increase in environmental risks, he said.

The vessel is near a protected feeding zone for the endangered southern killer whales. They produce propeller and engine noise underwater, emit carbon dioxide while at anchor and idling, and discharge potentially harmful ballast water, he said.

They also risk damaging sensitive subsea habitats with anchors and chains, and if the anchors are dragged there is a risk of them colliding with each other or catching fire, he added.

“Ports themselves need to work towards developing infrastructure, fixing supply chains and devising proper arrival systems so these anchorages can be eliminated,” he said. ‘s current intention is to make them permanent, and that’s the scary part for us.”

Adam Olsen, BC Green MLA, which represents Saanich North and the islands, said ports should be responsible for better managing incoming and outgoing vessels to avoid congestion.

He said that in the current situation, ships may make multiple trips between anchorages and ports as they are loaded with different products.

“We cannot understand how to manage the supply chain and the port cannot understand how to manage the movements of the ships using the port, so that a single ship moves inefficiently for weeks in and out of the port. It’s possible,” he said.

“We keep getting pushed around from one jurisdiction to the next. ‘Oh, that’s their responsibility. It’s Transport Canada’s responsibility. We need to talk to the port about that.’ ’ No one is taking responsibility for this mess.”

Madiwal told Global News that the proposed code of conduct and grievance mechanism are only part of a “holistic” solution to port congestion problems, with more to be rolled out next year. Told.

He said the port is looking into technology, data management and communication solutions to improve efficiency, with a planned traffic management system to be deployed in 2023.

© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.