Staying ahead of the curve on oil spills

Prince Rupert, B.C., is home to the new Eagle Bay OSRV (Oil-Spill Recovery Vessel) launched late 2008 by Burrard Clean Operations (BCO) to prepare for on-coming new industrial developments in Prince Rupert and Kitimat. "We want to be an insurance policy for the environment," said Kevin Gardner, BCO President. "We don't want to be out there because it means something has spilled, so it's one of those pieces of machinery that you hope you never have to use."
     

The new environmental management vehicle will range anywhere on the coast, "basically from Shearwater all the way to Prince Rupert," a large area of operation, said Gardner, including Haida Gwaii. The Eagle Bay is a 15.54 m (51') aluminum monohull skimmer with a recovery capacity of 32.8 tonnes per hour. It has Hiab Seacrane, two Cana-flex sweep booms, and two LAMOR HK2-2.54 Brush skimmers for drawing oil and flotsam from the seas. She will run 21 knots on the Caterpillar C12 main engine.
     

Gardner said the vessel made the voyage from Klemtu to Prince Rupert in 6.5 hours, a very respectable speed. "The Eagle Bay has a higher speed, better skimming capabilities most skimmers, and more comforts for the crew so they can be out on the water for longer periods of time. But this if this boat never touches a drop of oil, that is a good thing," said Craig Dougans, Manager of Response and Operational Standards for BCO.
     

The purpose of the Eagle Bay is "to stay ahead of the curve. It was built because of the increased pace of economic development in the north, in particular Kitimat and Prince Rupert. BCO has plans for more environmental oil-spill response equipment to be deployed in the north." He added, "The sinking of the Queen of the North was the impetus for action. Sometimes it takes a disaster to happen and then people have to find the positives."
     

The new skimmer was a $1.3 million expense to BCO and will operate in the Pacific Coast with 12 other similar emergency-oriented vessels, including one in Alaska that is a sister ship to the Eagle Bay.

Broadwater Industries has years of service from aluminum watercraft in Prince Rupert, B.C.

Boats are essential service vehicles in a coastal environment but in the North Pacific Coast it is a tough environment so it takes a boat that can handle the stormy and belligerent North Pacific Ocean. Broadwater Industries built their first aluminum boat in 1984 for the B.C. Dept. of Forestry, said Mike Collins, head of the boat division. “I have been building boats since 1977 and in my 32-year career I have built over 500 boats personally.”
   

 Broadwater Industries boat division has been visited by customers for many different reasons, he explained, to build boats for everything from recreation, commercial, Auxiliary Coast Guard, Ministry of Fisheries, Ministry of Environment, crew boats, charter Boats, to the frequently seen aluminum work boats.
    

One of the advantages of an aluminum boat is its durability, said  Collins, “And they provide many years of service with low maintenance cost. The durability of the hull allows the boat to be beached for shore work. They stand up very well with collisions with debris in the water.” He said the aluminum boat repairs are very often minor.
     

Aluminum boats retain their value over the years, and “usually the replacement power (engine) is the largest cost to keep the boat up to its origin state. I know of several boats that I have built 25 years ago that are still running around,” said  Collins. The aluminum boat construction begins with a quote, “With new sales of our boats the quoted price is always guaranteed as long as there are no significant changes after the construction has started.”
     

Broadwater sends weekly emails to the buyers with pictures showing the construction process, “and if any questions arise we are able to answer them promptly. If there are any changes during construction we work very closely with our customers to keep any added costs to the minimum.” With the finished boat Broadwater Industries gives a 10 year limited warranty on the hull.
    

“Our boats are all custom built,” said Collins, “so we don't normally have boats in our yard for sale. This I feel is a good practice, this gives us the opportunity to listen to our customer's needs and ideas of how they would like their boat constructed.” He noted, “Many of our customers are First Nations. We have sold boats to individuals for recreation, food fishing, commuting, chartering, and tourism. We have sold our boats as well to First Nation communities. Their main uses so far have been for fisheries programs, Watchman programs, and crew boats.”
     

The designs and applications at Broadwater are time-tested and unique, “Our boats have evolved into one of the best built anywhere. I have always appreciated listening to our First Nation customer's ideas because most boats that are sold to First Nation communities are used in remote regions under at times unfavorable weather conditions and usually on a daily basis.”

Learn more from Mike Collins at 1-250-624-5158 www.broadwater.bc.ca

Numas Warrior a powerful ship-berthing tugboat for the Orca Quarry Marine Terminal

The Orca Quarry located on the east coast of northern Vancouver Island, 3.8 km west of Port McNeill, B.C., is permitted to produce 6.6 million tons of sand and gravel per year. Production began in Feb. 2007 including a dedicated ship-loading facility in Port McNeill for handling vessels up to 80,000 tons.

This harbour activity is now enhanced by the delivery of the Numas Warrior to Port McNeill, “a powerful and modern ship-berthing tugboat now in service assisting 80,000 ton capacity Panamax class freighters in and out of the Orca Quarry marine terminal,” said Mike Westerlund, Communications Manager, Polaris Minerals Corporation.

Polaris owns 88% of Orca Quarry, with the remaining 12% interest held by Namgis First Nation, said Westerlund, “The tugboat ownership group, consisting of Polaris Minerals Corporation of Vancouver, the Sea Legend Group of Port Hardy and Island Tug and Barge of Vancouver, were pleased to press the Numas Warrior into service in December.”

Since then the Warrior has been on hand to move each freighter loaded at the quarry and assists with the loading of barges dispatched for Vancouver. The tugboat operates powerful engines with rotating drives, “on a beamy, flat-bottomed hull design. The boat is about 60 feet long, 30 feet wide and has a relatively flat bottom,” said  Westerlund, “When combined with its twin 1,200 hp diesel engines and 360 degree rotating Z drives, this boat can move sideways almost as fast as it can move forwards.”

He said these attributes make it ideal for controlling the movements of large vessels, and “the new boat has won the admiration of all who have worked with her, including the BC Coast Pilots.” The twin MTU diesels meet Tier II emission standards, an advanced standard for clean burning diesel engines.

Mining is an optimist’s game

It was fundamentally important for the Terrane Metals Mt. Milligan Mine project to hold its own. “We are at the federal permitting and environmental assessment phase,” said Ryan King, Terrane Metals Investor Relations, “We’re probably one year away from construction,” he said , “It will be 2012 before production starts on copper concentrate to be smelted in Asia.”

The company placed orders for industrial machinery and equipment to be installed at the mine site. Glen Wonders is Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability for Terrane Metals at Mt. Milligan Mine, and works with local parties affected by the mining operations scheduled to ensue 155 km northwest of Prince George, B.C..

“It is very hard to access debt capital at the moment, lending institutions are very cautious,” said Wonders. He was, like everyone, “waiting for investor confidence to return. It’s not about our mine. You have to keep the problems in perspective. It remains a favorable mine,” he said.

“You have to be an optimist to be in mining. Miners as a group are always optimistic.” He said the Mt. Milligan Mine is in the midst of federal and provincial permitting processes while the Environmental Assessment has been done on the provincial side and a technical review is underway on the federal side.

One of the most important functions for Wonders is liaison with First Nations. “Our engagement with First Nations is detailed in the discussions about employment. The mine means potential jobs for First Nations people if the mine receives all needed approvals and financing,” said Wonders. Those he has been involved with are from Ft. St James, McLeod Lake, West Moberly, and Halfway First Nations. “The mine is on the treaty land of McLeod Lake First Nation,” said Wonders.

The Nak’azdli First Nation took umbrage with the claim that the project is backed by the First Nation on whose lands it is located. They recently disputed the McLeod Lake claim to the territory. Wonders lived in Prince George for many years and is aware of the crisis in forestry jobs that surrounds the region, reducing employment in towns like Mackenzie and Ft St James north of Prince George. “The mine is a beacon of light for a lot of people.”

Talking Stick, Vancouver Island, Indigenous Art, by artist unknown