British Columbia's Crude Oil Tanker Ban

The Government of Canada is set to introduce legislation by spring 2017 that will formalise a ban on large crude oil tankers or those carrying persistent oils as cargo, from entering or leaving ports and marine installations in British Columbia’s (B.C’s) Northern coastline area.

The legislation is intended to provide extra protection from potential oil spills, particularly for the environmentally sensitive Great Bear Rainforest and the Great Bear Sea.

Since the 1980’s a voluntary Tanker Exclusion Zone (TEZ) has been in place protecting the Western coastline from loaded oil tankers transiting from Alaska to the continental U.S.

Smaller Vessels Exempt

Northern B.C. communities and industries rely on the resupply of a number of these products, and therefore vessels carrying less than 12,500 tonnes of crude or persistent oil as cargo will be exempted from the ban.

Cargo Restrictions

The ban will apply to the shipment of crude oils as defined under Annex I of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).

Below are examples of related oil products included and not included in the ban. However, the list of scheduled products could be amended in the future.

The legislation will include an enforcement regime and penalty provisions, where penalties will be commensurate with the scale of the violation, with fines up to CA$5 million.

Source: Government of Canada