Campaign Blog
Enbridge’s comparison of Kitimat to European ports overlooks geography
Posted Aug 25
Back in February of last year, Enbridge posted some information on its Northern Gateway website comparing the proposed oil port at Kitimat to various European ports
Dave Shannon from Terrace did some further research and discovered key differences between the European ports Enbridge cites and the proposed port at Kitimat. Using Google Earth imagery he shows here how the distance of the approach to the port from the open ocean is about five times longer in Kitimat than any of the other ports. Pay attention to the white line, which represents the approach tankers must make through inside waters to reach the ports.
Mongstad, Norway
Brofjorden, Sweden
Sullom Voe, Scotland
Kitimat, B.C., Canada
Why does this matter? The chance of an accident is higher in inside waters than on the open ocean. The longer the approach, the greater the risk of an accident. The entrance to the Douglas Channel is particularly challenging given the turns required to navigate the narrow channels between islands. It was here that the Queen of the North ferry sank in 2006 after running aground on Gil Island.
As Enbridge’s PR people say, “seeing is believing.” (I guess they hoped we wouldn’t look at a map.)
