The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has secured federal regulatory approval to proceed with dredging works near Second Narrows in Burrard Inlet, with the project expected to commence in September.
The works will increase port capacity and supply chain efficiency, including enabling vessels calling at Trans Mountain’s Westridge terminal to load more fully, and are positioned as direct support for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s goal of doubling Canadian exports to non-US markets over the next decade.
The approval takes the form of a Fisheries Act authorisation from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, containing more than 100 legally binding conditions designed to avoid, mitigate and offset potential adverse effects on fish and fish habitat. These conditions were developed in consultation with First Nations.
The dredging programme comprises three principal components: dredging the edges of the existing deep-sea navigation channel east of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge in the Second Narrows waterway, removing segments of decommissioned Metro Vancouver waterlines that overlap with the dredging areas, and installing new navigation aids west of the bridge near the Columbia Containers terminal to support safe vessel movements.
The primary operational benefit will be enabling Aframax-class vessels departing Trans Mountain’s Westridge Marine Terminal to load to fuller capacity, addressing current draft restrictions that prevent these vessels from loading to their maximum potential.
Next steps include a Pacific Pilotage Authority-led Navigation Risk Assessment and a port authority-led review of navigation procedures to ensure fully loaded vessels can transit the waterway safely and reliably.
Jennifer Natland, Vice President of Properties and Development at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, described the dredging as a means of boosting export capacity and enabling Canada to move more goods to overseas markets, supporting broader national economic objectives.
She emphasised that the works would be delivered in a manner that grows exports and supports jobs while respecting environmental and community considerations.
The Second Narrows project is one of several infrastructure initiatives currently underway at the Port of Vancouver to expand trade capacity, alongside the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project, designed to unlock US$ 100 billion in annual trade capacity, and the Holdom Overpass Project, aimed at improving rail service to North Shore terminals.
