Port of Vancouver: Dredging work at Second Narrows set for September

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) is moving ahead with plans to dredge near Second Narrows in Burrard Inlet, with federal regulatory approval now in place.

The dredging and associated works are set to increase port capacity and supply chain efficiency, including facilitating vessels calling Trans Mountain’s Westridge terminal to more fully load, VFPA said.

The proposal’s most recent milestone is federal regulatory approval via a Fisheries Act authorization from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. This authorization contains more than 100 legally binding conditions to avoid, mitigate and offset potential adverse effects of the works on fish and fish habitat.

Dredging and associated work is expected to start in September, comprising:

• Dredging the edges of the existing deep-sea navigation channel east of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge in Burrard Inlet’s Second Narrows waterway,
• Removing segments of decommissioned Metro Vancouver waterlines that overlap with the deep-sea navigation channel within the proposed dredging areas,
• Installing new navigation aids west of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge near Columbia Containers terminal on Burrard Inlet’s south shore to support safe vessel movements.