Public notice

Jetty pile repairs – Viterra Pacific – Public comments invited

December 16, 2025 - As part of its Project and Environmental Review process, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority must determine whether the proposed Passenger dock replacement - Indian Arm barge landing located at Indian Arm Barge, North Vancouver are 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. In addition, your contact information may be shared with third parties, e.g., the tenant, other relevant agencies, to help respond to your questions and inform possible mitigations.

Written comments must be submitted by January 15, 2025 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

The Applicant proposes to conduct structural repairs to the PAC1 Jetty located at the Bunge Canada (formerly Pacific Elevator) terminal at 1800 Stewart Street. The PAC1 Jetty is situated on the east side of the terminal's marine berth and consists of a wharf structure extending north into Burrard Inlet, supported by concrete piles and caissons. The jetty also supports a three-track rail spur that facilitates inbound rail delivery to on-site storage or direct loadout to vessels.

The existing jetty piles within Bents 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 have deteriorated due to long-term marine exposure, resulting in concrete spalling, corrosion, and localized scour around the pile bases. These conditions reduce the structural capacity of the bent frames and pose long-term operational and safety risks. The Applicant is therefore proposing to rehabilitate a total of seventeen (17) concrete piles through installation of permanent steel encasements, underwater concrete footings, and scour protection. The works are intended to restore structural integrity and extend the service life of the PAC1 Jetty.

The Project will involve underwater work using barge-mounted equipment and divers. Repairs will result in the placement of permanent materials—including concrete, steel, and scour protection—onto the seabed, increasing the underwater footprint by approximately 230 m² with a total material volume of approximately 240 m³.

Proposed Works

Project activities include the following:

Pile preparation will begin with the manual removal of debris, boulders, and obstructions from the base of each pile, followed by cleaning or hydroblasting of the lower pile sections to remove accumulated sand, gravel, and seabed material. Pressure washers and hand tools will be used to remove marine growth, rust, and loose concrete from the pile surfaces. All loosened material will be relocated to an adjacent, stable area of the seafloor using airlift systems or low-pressure water jets.

Permanent steel footing forms will then be installed around the perimeter of each pile to define the new concrete footing geometry. All seams will be sealed using closed-cell foam and grout to prevent washout during underwater concrete placement. Twelve-inch-diameter holes will be drilled into the underlying bedrock to receive epoxy-grouted dowel bars for anchorage. Reinforcing steel will be installed inside the footing forms and around the existing piles, followed by placement of non-shrink underwater concrete or grout via tremie pipe to construct the footings. Corrosion protection coatings will be applied to exposed steel components where required. Once the footings are complete, scour protection will be installed around and over the finished foundations using precast concrete mats, gabion baskets, gabion mats, or equivalent engineered materials to minimize future erosion.

All construction activities will be conducted using a construction barge positioned on the east side of the PAC1 Jetty. A barge-mounted crane, pumps, tremie-pipe system, and diver support equipment will be used for underwater construction activities. Equipment and materials will be staged on the existing PAC1 Jetty deck, and divers will support pile cleaning, form installation, reinforcing placement, and underwater inspections throughout the Project.