Although vessels transporting petroleum are responsible for any release or spill on water, Trans Mountain is committed to working with spill responders and the ship owners to help minimize impacts to the environment and people.

If an oil spill occurs in the marine environment, multiple organizations quickly take a coordinated approach to mitigate public and environmental impacts. We have extensive emergency response plans ready to activate in case of a spill. To review the Westridge Marine Terminal Emergency Response Plan please click here.

Pursuant to subsection 168.(1) of the Canada Shipping Act, 2011, Trans Mountain has an arrangement with a certified response organization known as Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC). WCMRC is composed of a team of spill response professionals trained specifically in the response to and recovery of water-based oil spills. WCMRC is funded through a tariff charged to every vessel transporting petroleum to or from ports of the West Coast of Canada. Their ability to effectively manage and direct spill response procedures within the first few hours after response activation significantly reduces the negative impacts oil can have on the Environment and people surrounding environment.

In the event of a spill, WCMRC personnel immediately respond with carefully designed geographic response strategies and counter measures. WCMRC maintains various response-oriented warehouses and equipment caches that can be activated such as containment booms, skimmers and vessels.