Disposal at sea permit 4543-2-03685
Please note that this permit has expired.
Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to section 127 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), disposal at sea permit no. 4543‑2‑03685 authorizing the loading for disposal and the disposal of waste or other matter at sea is approved. The permit is published on the Canadian Environmental Protection Act Registry on Tuesday, April 17, 2018.
1. Permittee: Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.
2. Waste or other matter to be disposed of: ships, aircraft, platforms or other structures from which all material that can create floating debris or other marine pollution has been removed to the maximum extent possible if, in the case of disposal, those substances would not pose a serious obstacle to fishing or navigation after being disposed of.
2.1. Nature of waste or other matter: ship.
2.2. Description of ship:
Name of ship: former YOGN-82
Gross tonnage: 4338 tonnes
Length: 111.5 metres
Beam: 16.4 metres
Draught: 7.92 metres
Construction: cast concrete with reinforced rebar
3. Duration of permit: permit is valid from April 24, 2018, to April 23, 2019.
4. Loading site(s): Catalyst Paper Mill, Powell River, British Columbia, at approximately 49.87080° N, 124.55908° W North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83), as submitted in support of the permit application.
5. Disposal site(s): the disposal must occur at Powell River, British Columbia, at 49.84962° N, 124.53889° W (NAD83).
6. Route to disposal site(s) and method of transport: the permittee must take the safest navigational route from the loading site to the disposal site via tow vessel(s), under conditions minimizing the risk of unintentional sinking or loss.
7. Method of disposal: ship will be scuttled by explosive cutting allowing water to enter hull.
8. Requirements and restrictions:
8.1. The permittee must remove all floatables and all petroleum-based products (fuel oil, hydraulic fluids, lubricants, etc.) from the ship prior to its disposal.
8.2. The disposal of the ship must be done during weather conditions that will enable effective positioning and/or anchoring of the ship on the sea floor.
8.3. The permittee must provide on-site contingency measures and equipment, must clean up any floatables and surface oil residues from the ship after its disposal, and must carry out clean-up measures as determined by the Minister, as represented by the Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Operations Directorate, Pacific and Yukon Region, identified in paragraph 11.2 within 2 days after the disposal.
9. Inspection:
9.1. By accepting this permit, the permittee and its contractors are subject to inspection pursuant to Part 10 of CEPA.
9.2. The permittee shall ensure that records of all loading, transport and disposal activities are kept on site for the duration of the permit and are available for inspection by any enforcement officer or analyst, for 2 years following the expiry of the permit.
9.3. Tow vessel(s) operating under the authority of this permit shall carry and display a radar-reflecting device at all times mounted on the highest practical location.
9.4. The permittee must allow any enforcement officer and/or a representative of the Department of the Environment to board and inspect the ship identified in paragraph 2.2 prior to its disposal.
9.5. The permittee must provide appropriate and timely transport to and from the ship identified in paragraph 2.2 for any enforcement officer and representative of the Department of the Environment.
9.6. The permittee must address any clean-up deficiencies identified by the enforcement officer or representative of the Department of the Environment prior to disposal of the ship.
9.7. Prior to disposal, the shipmust meet the criteria stipulated in the document titled “Clean-Up Standard for Disposal at Sea of Vessels, Aircraft, Platforms & Other Structures” (Revision 4, November 2015) prepared and provided by the Department of the Environment.
9.8. The permittee shall not introduce new material to the ship after the enforcement officer and/or representative of the Department of the Environment have inspected the ship and confirmed that the criteria stipulated in the document identified in paragraph 9.7 of this permit have been met.
10. Contractors:
10.1. The transport or disposal at sea referred to under this permit shall not be carried out by any person without written authorization from the permittee.
10.2. The permittee shall ensure that all persons involved in the loading, transport and/or disposal activities authorized by this permit conduct these activities in accordance with the permit conditions.
11. Reporting and notification:
11.1. The permittee shall provide the following information at least 48 hours before loading, transport and disposal activities commence: name or number of ship, platform or structure used to carry out the transport and/or disposal, name of the contractor including corporate and on-site contact information, and expected period of transport and disposal activities. The above-noted information shall be submitted to the Environmental Enforcement Division of the Department of the Environment, Pacific and Yukon Region, 604‑666‑9059 (fax) or ec.immersionenmerrpy-disposalatseapyr.ec@canada.ca (email).
11.2. The permittee shall submit a written report to the Minister, as represented by the Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Operations Directorate, Pacific and Yukon Region, within 30 days after the expiry of the permit. This report shall contain the following information: the location of the final disposal site (bow and stern coordinates); the date on which disposal activity occurred; copies of documentation regarding all required notifications pursuant to this permit; and confirmation that the terms identified in this permit were adhered to and/or satisfied. The report shall be sent to the Regional Director at any of the following coordinates:
By mail:
Regional Director
Environmental Protection Operations Directorate
Pacific and Yukon Region
201-401 Burrard St
Vancouver BC V6C 3S5
By fax: 604‑666‑6800
By email: ec.immersionenmerrpy-disposalatseapyr.ec@canada.ca
11.3. At all times, a copy of this permit must be available on all powered ships directly engaged in the transport and disposal operations.
11.4. Upon completion of the disposal, a notice shall be submitted to the Canadian Hydrographic Service regarding the new aids to navigation so that chart corrections may be made.
12. Special precautions:
12.1 The permittee must establish a 500-metre marine mammal exclusion zone surrounding the area where explosive charges are to be used. The marine mammal exclusion zone must be maintained by a Department of Fisheries and Oceans-approved marine mammal observer. The marine mammal exclusion zone must be monitored for 30 minutes prior to the initiation of explosive charges to ensure that no marine mammals are within the exclusion zone. If a marine mammal is observed within 500 metres of the area where explosive charges are to be used, explosive use shall not occur until the marine mammal moves out of the marine mammal exclusion zone.
12.2. The permittee must conduct underwater blasting for the purpose of carrying out the disposal authorized by this permit during daylight hours.
12.3. Works, undertakings and activities must adhere to the document “Wright, D.G., and G.E. Hopky. 1998 Guidelines for the use of explosives in or near Canadian fisheries waters. Can Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2107: iv + 34 p.” except that the guideline criteria of 100 kPa must be revised and reduced to 30 kPa.
12.4. The permittee must maintain a vessel exclusion zone of at least 100 metres during disposal. This zone must be maintained through the use of a patrol boat and/or marker buoys. Any temporary buoys must be removed within two (2) days of disposal.
12.5 Tow vessel operators must be Transport Canada certified and must be familiar with the route from the loading site to the disposal site.
12.6. All equipment used during transport and disposal must be in working order and must be maintained to prevent leaks and spills of petroleum-based products.
Saul Schneider
Regional Director
Environmental Protection Operations Directorate
Pacific and Yukon Region
On behalf of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Signed on April 11, 2018