Field Studies Continue for Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is continuing field studies in May 2020 as part of ongoing environmental and technical work for the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project.

Since 2011, the Port Authority has been conducting field studies at Roberts Bank and the surrounding areas that build on previous scientific work as well as address existing information gaps.

According to the Port, the purpose of these studies is to determine the physical conditions (e.g., temperature and salinity) influencing biofilm presence and distribution at Roberts Bank. The Roberts Bank study area is located in the upper and mid intertidal zones north of the Roberts Bank causeway.

The Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project is a proposed new three-berth marine container terminal located at Roberts Bank in Delta, British Columbia, approximately 35 km south of Vancouver.

The main components of the proposed project are:

• A new three-berth marine container terminal;
• A widened causeway to the mainland to accommodate additional road and rail infrastructure;
• An expanded tug basin to accommodate a second tug operations contractor.

The project is undergoing a federal environmental assessment by an independent review panel, under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, and requires other permits and authorizations before it can proceed.

Recently, Mercator International – using forecasts for overall container volumes provided by Ocean Shipping Consultants – released the key findings and conclusions about ship numbers travelling through the Salish Sea and serving Pacific Northwest ports.

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority commissioned Mercator International to provide a forecast of container ship traffic with or without the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project.