Oil Tankers In
Canadian Waters
#clearfacts #tankers101
Oil Tankers 101
Tanker Sizes and Capacities
An oil tanker's capacity is measured based on its size in deadweight tonnes (DWT), which is the total weight a ship can safely carry (including the cargo, fuel, crew, provisions, etc.) not including the weight of the ship itself. Tanker capacities can range from a few thousand DWT to 550,000 DWT.
How to Spot a Tanker
- Transports oil, refined or unrefined
- Piping visible on deck
- No large cranes visible
- Transports standard-sized shipping containers
- Containers stacked visibly above deck
- Large crane visible
- Transports wheeled cargo, such as cars, trucks and railway cars
- Sits high above the water
- Multiple vehicle decks
- Transports unpackaged cargo, such as coal, grain and iron ore
- Large hatches visible on deck
- Can have large cranes visible
Tankers in Canadian Waters
Canadian Ports and Facilities that Handle Most Oil Tankers
Oil Transported as Cargo in Canadian Waters by Region
*MT = millions of tonnes The vast majority of tanker movements occur on the Atlantic coast.
Incidents, Accidents and Spills
Seaborne Oil Trade (Billion Tonne-miles)
No. of Spills 7 Tonnes and Over
Annual Canadian Oil Spill Frequency (2003 – 2012)
| Average Number of Spills | Spill Size in Litres |
| ~48 | 100 to 10,000* |
| 2.5 | 10,000 to 100,000 |
| 0.7 | 100,000 to 1,000,000 |
| 0 | >1,000,000** |
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*
The volume of a standard hot tub is approximately 1,600 litres
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Overall, 67% of ship-source oil spills in Canadian waters from 2003 to 2012 were between 100 and 1,000 litres. Of the larger spills (those 10,000 litres or greater), 78% involved fuel oil rather than oil being carried as cargo. As such, oil tanker cargo was not the source of most of these spill.
History of Notable Ship-source Oil Spills in Canada
| Spill Size in Litres | Year | Ship, Ship Type, Location, Incident Type |
| 10,000,000 | '70 | SS Arrow, Tanker, Nova Scotia, Grounding |
| 464,000 | '74 | Golden Robin, Tanker, Quebec, Bunkering Spill |
| 9,280,000 | '79 | Kurdistan, Tanker, Nova Scotia, Allision |
| 874,430 | '88 | Nestucca, Fuel Barge, Washington U.S. & British Columbia, Collision |
| 290,000 | '89 | Nancy Orr Gaucher, Tanker, Ontario, Bunkering Spill |
| 232,000 | '90 | Rio Orinoco, Tanker, Quebec, Grounding |
| 23,000 | '98 | MV Saraband, Tanker, Quebec, Leak |
| 170,000 | '04 | Terra Nova, Floating Production Storage and Offloading, Newfoundland, Mechanical Failure |
| 230,000 | '06 | Queen of the North, RORO Ferry, British Columbia, Grounding |
| 2,700 | '15 | MV Marathassa, Bulk Carrier, British Columbia, Leak |
| 110,000 | '16 | Nathan E. Stewart, Tug Boat, British Columbia, Grounding |
| *Spill sizes have been estimated to the best of responders' abilities **For comparison, the size of the Exxon Valdez oil spill was ~40,882,450 litres | ||
Spill Prevention and Response
Spill Prevention
Preventing shipping accidents, incidents and oil spills is a shared responsibility among international, national, provincial and local bodies, and ship owners and operators. Working together, the following measures are aimed at preventing accidents and spills in Canadian waters.
Marine Pilots
These licensed Canadian navigational experts conduct tankers and other ships in harbours and busy waterways.
Learn more.
Mandatory Double Hulls
All tankers must have 2 watertight layers on the bottom and sides of ships. The double layer construction helps in reducing the risks of marine pollution in the event of damage to the ship's hull.
Learn more.
Navigational Aids
Navigating Canadian waters is made safer using visual, auditory and electronic aids that warn of obstructions and mark shipping routes.
Learn more.
Marine Inspections
Transport Canada regularly deploys marine inspectors to ensure tankers transiting Canadian waters are in safe operating condition and that every tanker operating in Canada has a double hull. The Government of Canada requires that all Canadian tankers be inspected once a year and that all foreign tankers be inspected on their first visit to Canada and at least once a year afterward.
Learn more.
Tug Escorts
In designated areas, tug boats escort loaded tankers and aid both incoming and outgoing vessels - they can slow, stop or steer a vessel if it loses power or its steering system.
Learn more.Spill Response
While minimizing risks through prevention measures is critical – what happens if a spill does occur?
Canada’s Marine Oil Spill Response Organizations
- Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC)
- Eastern Canada Response Corporation (ECRC)
- Point Tupper Marine Services (PTMS)
- Atlantic Environmental Response Team (ALERT)
The Canadian government delivers the legislation and regulation for the spill response regime and oversees industry's preparedness and actions during a spill. Transport Canada provides the government's legislative and regulatory mandate while the Canadian Coast Guard is tasked with overseeing the response to the spill as the "on-scene commander."
Liability and Compensation – “The Polluter Pays”
How is the clean-up paid for and who pays for the costs?
When a spill from a tanker occurs in Canada, there are different sources of compensation from international and domestic funds. Combined, they could provide up to $1.55 billion for a single oil spill.
Shipowners' Liability for Spills
International conventions make shipowners liable for oil spills from tankers. Liability depends on the size of the ship, and must be backed by the shipowners' mandatory insurance. Learn more.
The Ship-Source Oil Pollution Fund
This Canadian fund was created from levies collected from oil cargo companies. It addresses spills of any type of oil from any type of ship – not just tankers. Changes made to the SOPF in December 2018 removed the per-incident limit of liability; there is effectively no limit to compensation available from the SOPF. Learn more.
International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds
Canada is a member of the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds which administers 2 international funds created from levies collected from oil cargo companies. Learn more.
Oceans Protection Plan
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