Editor:
Re: Trans Mountain oil tankers no reason to set your hair on fire, NOW Letters
The Tsleil-Waututh have done a very comprehensive study of the risks of tanker traffic in Burrard Inlet and the Concerned Professional Engineers have raised concerns as well.
Among them is the fact that the narrows at the Iron Workers bridge is 100-metres wide, an Afromax tanker is 30-plus-two and pilot tugs make no room for error.
The tugs are there to guide a tanker, but there are questions whether it could stop a fully-laden tanker if it lost power or steerage. These tankers must leave 80% full on a high tide because they have only seven feet of ground clearance. Double hulls will not save a tanker aground on a falling tide and they will collapse under their own weight.
These concerns have been met with silence from the NEB. The Iron Workers bridge is a vital part of Vancouver’s economy, and transportation and chaos would result from a closure. If Mr. Hair on Fire would care to look into the risks, he might find he would shopping for a fire extinguisher inside of calling out Svend Robinson.
Barry Bennett, Burnaby
