Fog lifts, then a perfect landing
Published Monday June 29th, 2009
Canaport LNG A crowd gathers to watch titanic tanker arrive and a historic moment for Saint John's energy hub
SAINT JOHN - A crowd of about 100 people gathered on the shore of Mispec Beach on the weekend to see Canada's first shipment of liquefied natural gas delivered to the Canaport LNG terminal in Saint John.
Pulled into harbour by five tugboats, the massive tanker, Bilbao Knutsen, berthed at the Canaport jetty shortly before 5 p.m. on Saturday. The ship's original estimated time of arrival on Friday was cancelled due to heavy fog.
Visibility on Saturday was relatively good, though warm, humid weather left a slight blanket of haze along the shoreline. It didn't affect the tanker, however, which arrived on schedule.
"This is a great day for everyone here at Canaport LNG and it represents millions of hours of planning, engineering and labour. We're grateful for the support of the community and the patience of our neighbours throughout this process," Jorge Ciacciarelli, general manager for Canaport LNG, said in a press release.
The tanker will remain docked at the terminal for at least a week. During that time, a flame tower will burn nitrogen currently inside the Canaport facility's storage tanks, replacing it with the liquefied natural gas cargo from the ship.
The Bilbao Knutsen's arrival is a milestone for Canada, marking the first time a tanker has delivered LNG for regasification. Workers at the Canaport LNG site will spend the next week guiding the process whereby the ship's frigid liquid cargo - which is -160 C - will be reheated and transformed into natural gas for home and business use.
"We're all extremely excited. This has been a process three years in the making, and we can't wait to start seeing the Canaport LNG facility at full operation," Carolyn Van der Veen, spokeswoman for Canaport LNG, said.
The Bilbao Knutsen won't be the only ship this year to sail into Saint John harbour with LNG onboard. It's expected a tanker will dock at the terminal every month, with more frequent stops in winter because of peak demand.
An official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the terminal will happen in September.
Last week, residents in East Saint John received letters from Mayor Ivan Court addressing concerns about the Canaport LNG facility and the arrival of the Bilbao Knutsen tanker, which holds 138,000 cubic metres or 36.4 million gallons.
"The ship has been allowed to dock at Canaport LNG only because the facility has satisfied 24 conditions to operate as set out in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process," Court stated in the letter.
To further increase safety, Saint John's fire chief travelled to the United States, where similar facilities have operated for decades.
The visit helped to perfect the current safety procedures used in Saturday's docking, according to the letter.
Training was also provided to members of the Saint John Fire Department in fire suppression and spill control in LNG emergencies.
Andy Somerville, manager of operations and outside services for the Saint John Port Authority, said the berthing of the ship went smoothly.
"There were no problems as far as I am aware," he said.
He expects the Bilbao Knutsen to be there for about 12 days before it is guided back out of the harbour.
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Thanks to the boys from Newfoundland .......... ?
"This" is truly sad, ... is there no one left in Saint John to do the work, ... or have we all moved away to find it?
The environment is looked after far better in Alberta than it is here.