Annual report 2019

66

LNG CANADA: IT’S ALL ABOUT PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

Boskalis has been working on the second season of the LNG Canada project on the Canadian west coast since September 2019. Preparations for this phase began in May 2019 with the mobilization and partial modification of the equipment. Strict regulations and exceptional measures for the protection of the environment play a prominent role in this project.

LNG Canada (LNGC) will be the frst large-scale LNG export terminal in Canada. It will be built in a fjord in the port of Kitimat for a Shell-led consortium. The future LNG berth will be constructed at the east side of the fjord, on the location that is currently in use by aluminum company Rio Tinto. The aluminum company itself will have its quay wall at the west side of the fjord extended. Boskalis is deepening the western and eastern sections of the port basin. SHORT SEASON “We can’t dredge for more than fve and a half months a year here,” project director Jaap Dekker said. “The dredging season runs from early September to mid-February and we only have from early December to mid-February for disposing of dredged material offshore. Obviously, winter isn’t the ideal time of year for this type of work. The season is so short because of strict environmental regulations, which focus primarily on maintaining fsh stocks. In addition, we also have Marine Mammal Observers on board during dredging: they look out for whales, dolphins or seals. Dredging is shut down if whales or dolphins come to within three hundred meters of the dredging units.”