Imperial Oil | Burrard Inlet Pipeline Removal Project

July 13, 2015

Project status

Permit issued

On January 19, 2018, a project permit was issued to Imperial Oil Limited (Imperial) to remove portions of two unused pipelines in the Port Moody Navigation Channel in Port Moody, British Columbia on federal waters managed by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

The project was approved subject to 39 permit conditions which Imperial must meet to ensure the project does not result in significant adverse environmental effects.

Construction is anticipated to begin in February 2018 and be completed by fall 2018.

About the project

Imperial is proposing to remove pipeline segments to allow for the proposed dredging of the navigation channel by Pacific Coast Terminals (PCT). Segments of these pipelines are located at a depth shallower than the proposed final dredge depth of -13.5 m below chart datum (CD) (i.e., the channel depth of -13.5 m proposed by PCT plus a 0.5 m over dredge margin). Portions of each pipeline at the south and north ends are proposed to be abandoned in place.

Proposed project activities and components include:

Filling of the pipes with water to weigh them down;
Clamshell dredging to remove overburden over the pipelines in the sections to be removed using a clamshell derrick, sealed spoil scow and assist tug;
Upland disposal of dredged material from a small area where concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exceed Disposal at Sea screening criteria;
Disposal of the remainder of the dredged sediment by side-casting the material next to the trench or at an approved Disposal at Sea site (Point Grey) upon approval of either option by Environment and Climate Change Canada;
Water jetting to expose the pipe cut locations, cutting and capping of the abandoned pipe segments using divers and surface support equipment;
Cutting of pipe segments of approximately 20 m length and lifting by a crawler crane on a spud barge for disposal; and
Abandonment in place of the remaining pipes.

The removal is expected to take approximately 2.5 months and be completed in two phases.

Resources

Contact information

For more information about Imperial Oil Limited’s proposed project, please contact their Project Public Inquiries Hotline by email or phone at 778.840.3398

For questions regarding the port authority’s Project and Environmental Review process, please contact us by email or phone at 604.665.9047