Seaspan Ship Load-out Gravel Bed and Shoreline Protection - Public Comments Invited

January 20, 2020 – As part of its Project and Environmental Review process, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority must determine whether the proposed Ship Load-out Gravel Bed and East Basin Infill, located at the Seaspan ULC facility in North Vancouver is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

To help inform this determination and a decision on whether or not to approve the proposed project, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is inviting comments from the public respecting that determination. All comments received will be considered public and may be posted online. For more information, individuals should consult the Privacy Notice on the Registry website.

Written comments must be submitted by February 19, 2020 to:

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority

Project and Environmental Review
100 The Pointe, 999 Canada Place
Vancouver, B.C. Canada  V6C 3T4
per@portvancouver.com

The Proposed Project

Seaspan proposes to construct a ship load-out gravel bed in Burrard inlet adjacent to their facility located at 10 Pemberton Avenue in North Vancouver. The gravel bed (7,500 square metres) is proposed in order to launch newly constructed Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy vessels. Seaspan also proposes to install slope protection using rip-rap (1,500 square metres) as part of a proposed infill of the east basin at the site. The project will require marine habitat offsetting under a Fisheries Act Authorization. The proposed marine habitat is designed to enhance kelp and juvenile salmonid habitat at the estuary of MacKay Creek. The project construction phase is proposed for August 2021 to March 2022. All marine construction works will take place during the fisheries least risk window for Burrard Inlet.

The works and activities on federal lands are part of a broader project that also includes an infill of the east basin at the site. Those works are within District of North Vancouver lands and waters and are outside of the scope of this review.