Burrard Inlet dredging approved to boost Vancouver port's oil tanker capacity | Daily Hive

Ironworkers Memorial Bridge and Second Narrows Rail Bridge at the Second Narrows of Burrard Inlet. (EB Adventure Photography/Shutterstock)

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) has cleared a key regulatory hurdle for a long-planned dredging project in Burrard Inlet that is expected to increase shipping capacity, particularly for oil exports from the Trans Mountain pipeline.

The project, centred on the Second Narrows shipping channel east of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, has received permission under the federal Fisheries Act from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, allowing the port authority to move ahead with construction.

The work is expected to begin in September 2026 and will involve dredging the edges of the existing deep-sea navigation channel, removing abandoned Metro Vancouver Regional District water supply pipes that overlap with the dredging area, and installing new navigation aids west of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge near the Columbia Containers terminal.

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According to the port authority, the changes are intended to improve the efficiency of marine shipping through Canada’s largest port while supporting the federal government’s goal of expanding exports to markets beyond the United States.

The biggest operational benefit will be for Aframax-class oil tankers serving the Trans Mountain Expansion Project’s Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby. Currently, these vessels are unable to depart fully loaded because of draft restrictions in the Second Narrows channel. By slightly deepening the channel’s edges, such ships carrying oil will be able to carry more weight and volume on each voyage.

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Dredging plan for the Second Narrows of Burrard Inlet. (Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)

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The Second Narrows Rail Bridge just beyond the north entrance into the Thornton Tunnel. (sophiecat/Shutterstock)

The work is expected to extract a mixture of sand, gravel, cobble, boulder, and sandstone materials. Most of the dredging will occur to a depth of about 1.3 metres below the seafloor, and a few sections will reach a maximum depth of about six metres below the seafloor. Approximately 25,000 cubic metres of material will be removed by the dredging project — equivalent to about 10 Olympic-sized swimming pools or under one per cent of the material removed annually by the port authority’s regular maintenance dredging work for the Fraser River.

The port authority asserts the project will increase export capacity while making better use of existing infrastructure rather than requiring new shipping routes.

“Dredging in the Second Narrows’ deep-sea navigation channel will boost export capacity at the port and allow Canada to move more of the goods we produce to overseas markets — supporting a stronger national economy,” said Jennifer Natland, vice president of properties and development at VFPA, in a statement.

“We will deliver the dredging and associated works in a way that both grows Canadian exports and support jobs, while continuing to respect the environment and local communities. Continued collaboration and investment in the Port of Vancouver is crucial for growing trade capacity as we all work to help Canada double exports to non-U.S. markets over the next decade.”

The Fisheries Act authorization includes more than 100 legally binding conditions designed to avoid, reduce and offset potential impacts on fish and fish habitat.

Despite the regulatory approval, additional work remains before fully loaded tankers can begin using the channel. The Pacific Pilotage Authority must complete a Navigation Risk Assessment, while the port authority will perform its own review of navigation procedures to ensure larger loaded vessels can safely and reliably pass through the Second Narrows.

The Second Narrows waterway is one of the most constrained sections of Burrard Inlet, with vessel movements already greatly limited by tidal windows, bridge clearances, currents, and pilotage requirements. The planned dredging is intended to ease one of those constraints by allowing deeper-draft ships to navigate the channel more efficiently while maintaining safe operations.

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Ironworkers Memorial Bridge looking towards the North Shore. (SiewYee AY/Shutterstock)

Oil tankers have been passing through the area in exponentially greater numbers ever since the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion reached completion and began its operations in 2024, with greater volumes of Albertan crude oil reaching the Westridge Marine Terminal.

The pipeline and marine terminal are intended to enable up to 34 oil tanker loadings per month — an average of one or two tankers per day in Burrard Inlet. Early this month, Trans Mountain Corporation, owned by the federal government, reported that its pipelines reached 83 per cent of capacity in the first quarter of 2026 and is expected to further increase to 90 per cent in the second quarter.

In recent years, as a measure to improve capacity and safety, the port authority introduced a new centralized scheduling system designed to better manage commercial ship traffic across the Port of Vancouver, including Burrard Inlet. It provides port operators, pilots, rail companies, and terminal operators a shared view of when and where vessels are moving, the system helps reduce bottlenecks and improve coordination.

The scheduling system was first introduced in Burrard Inlet in late 2023 and then subsequently gradually expanded, with early results showing clear benefits. In 2024, traffic through the Second Narrows rose by 56 per cent compared to the previous year.

Better visibility of ship movements has also helped rail operations. Canadian National (CN) Rail has been able to increase the number of trains serving North Shore terminals by 10 per cent each week, reducing delays and improving the flow of goods.

In February 2026, the aging Second Narrows Rail Bridge — owned by CN, located immediately east of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge — experienced a mechanical malfunction with its elevator-like, vertical-lift span. The issue lasted for about a week, effectively closing the passage to ships that require the opening and creating a bottleneck, including for oil tankers.

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