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Disposal at Sea Permit No. 4543-2-03607

Download Permit in PDF Format (68 KB)

(Amendment: March 24, 2015;)

Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to section 127 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, Disposal at Sea Permit No. 4543-2-03607 authorizing the loading for disposal and the disposal of waste or other matter at sea is approved. The permit is published on the CEPA Registry on October 7, 2014.

1. Permittee: Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.

2. Waste or other matter to be disposed of: Ships, aircraft, platforms or other structures from which all material that can create floating debris or other marine pollution has been removed to the maximum extent possible if, in the case of disposal, those substances would not pose a serious obstacle to fishing or navigation after being disposed of.

2.1. Nature of waste or other matter: Ship.

2.2. Description of ship:

Name of ship: former HMCSAnnapolis.
Gross Tonnage: 2880.
Length: 113.1 metres.
Beam: 12.8 metres.
Draught: 4.2 metres.
Construction: Aluminum, Steel.

3. Duration of permit: Permit is valid from October 14, 2014, to October 13, 2015.

3.1 The Permittee must not conduct the transport and disposal during the period of February 1, 2015, to August 14, 2015.

4. Loading site(s): Long Bay, Gambier Island, British Columbia at approximately 49.47061° N, 123.36147° W (NAD83), as submitted in support of the permit application.

5. Disposal site(s): The disposal must occur at Halkett Bay Marine Park, British Columbia between 49.44861° N, 123.33086° W (NAD83) and 49.44950° N, 123.32986° W (NAD83).

6. Route to disposal site(s) and method of transport: The Permittee must take the safest navigational route from the loading site to the disposal site via tow vessel(s), under conditions minimizing the risk of unintentional sinking or loss.

7. Method of disposal: Ship will be scuttled by explosive cutting allowing water to enter hull.

8. Requirements and Restrictions:

8.1. The Permittee must remove all floatables and all petroleum-based products (fuel oil, hydraulic fluids, lubricants, etc.) from the ship prior to its disposal.

8.2 The disposal of the ship must be done during weather conditions that will enable effective positioning and/or anchoring of the ship on the sea floor.

8.3 The Permittee must provide on-site contingency measures and equipment and must clean up any floatables and surface oil residues from the ship after its disposal, and must carry out clean up measures as determined by the Minister, within two (2) days after the disposal.

9. Inspection:

9.1. By accepting this permit, the Permittee and its contractors are subject to inspection pursuant to Part 10 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.

9.2. The Permittee must keep records of transport and disposal activity for the duration of the permit and make them available for inspection by any Enforcement Officer or Analyst designated pursuant to subsection 217(1) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, for two (2) years following the expiry of the permit.

9.3. Tow vessel(s) operating under the authority of this permit must carry and display a radar-reflecting device at all times mounted on the highest practical location.

9.4 The Permittee must allow an Enforcement Officer designated pursuant to subsection 217(1) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 and/or a departmental representative to board and inspect the ship identified in this permit prior to its disposal.

9.5 The Permittee must provide appropriate and timely transport to and from the ship for all Enforcement Officer(s) and Departmental representatives mentioned pursuant to Paragraph 9.4 of this permit.

9.6 The Permittee must address any clean-up deficiencies identified by the Enforcement Officer and/or departmental representative prior to disposal of the ship.

9.7 Prior to disposal, the ship must meet the criteria stipulated in Environment Canada’s Clean-Up Standard for Disposal at Sea of Vessels, Aircraft, Platforms & Other Structures (Revision 3, December 2007).

9.8 The Permittee must not introduce new material to the ship after an Enforcement Officer and/or Departmental representative has inspected the ship and confirmed that the criteria identified in Paragraph 9.7 of this permit have been met.

10. Contractors:

10.1. The transport or disposal at sea referred to in this permit shall not be carried out by any person without written authorization from the Permittee.

10.2. All persons involved in the transport and/or disposal activities authorized by this permit must conduct these activities in accordance with the permit conditions.

11. Reporting and notification:

11.1. The Permittee must provide the following information at least 48 hours before loading and disposal activities commence: name or number of ship, platform or structure used to carry out the transport and/or disposal, name of the contractor including corporate and on-site contact information, and expected period of transport and disposal activities. The above-noted information shall be submitted to the Environmental Enforcement Division of the Department of the Environment, Pacific and Yukon Region, 604-666-9059 (fax) or das.pyr@ec.gc.ca (email).

11.2. The Permittee must submit a written report to the Minister, as represented by the Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Operations Directorate, Pacific and Yukon Region, 201–401 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6C 3S5, 604-666-5928 (fax) or das.pyr@ec.gc.ca (email) no later than 30 days after the expiry of the permit. This report must include the following transport and disposal information: the location of the final disposal site (bow and stern coordinates); the date on which disposal activity occurred; copies of documentation regarding all required notifications pursuant to this permit; confirmation that the terms identified in this permit were adhered to and/or satisfied.

11.3. At all times, a copy of this permit must be available on all powered ships directly engaged in the transport and disposal operations.

11.4 Upon completion of the disposal, a notice must be submitted to the Canadian Hydrographic Service with regards to the new aids to navigation so that chart corrections may be made.

12. Special precautions:

12.1 The Permittee must establish a 500 metre marine mammal exclusion zone surrounding the explosive charges and the exclusion zone must be maintained by a qualified and experienced marine mammal observer. The marine mammal exclusion zone must be monitored for 30 minutes prior to the initiation of explosive charges to ensure that no marine mammals are within the exclusion zone. If there is a marine mammal observed within 500 metres of the explosive charges, explosive use is not to occur until the marine mammal moves out of the 500 metre marine mammal exclusion zone.

12.2 The Permittee must conduct underwater blasting for the purpose of carrying out the disposal authorized by this permit during daylight hours.

12.3 Works, undertakings and activities must adhere to the document “Wright, D.G., and G.E. Hopky. 1998 Guidelines for the use of explosives in or near Canadian fisheries waters. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2107: iv + 34 p.” except that the “guideline criteria of 100 kPa” must be revised and reduced to 30 kPa.

12.4 The Permittee must maintain a vessel exclusion zone of at least 100 metres during disposal. This zone must be maintained either through the use of a patrol boat and/or marker buoys. Any temporary buoys must be removed within two (2) days of disposal.

12.5 Tow vessel(s) operators must be qualified and must be familiar with the route from the loading site to the disposal site.

12.6 All equipment used during transport and disposal must be in working order and must be maintained to prevent leaks and spills of petroleum-based products.

Steven Wright
Regional Director
Environmental Protection Operations Directorate
Pacific & Yukon Region

On behalf of the Minister of the Environment

Signed on: October 2, 2014

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