CALGARY — Oil tanker traffic in the Burrard Inlet hit a new monthly record in the wake of the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline.In July, 31 tankers arrived in the inlet, according to David Huntley, a Simon Fraser professor emeritus who has long tracked tanker movements in the region.This marks the first time oil tanker arrivals have topped 30 in a single month since the expanded Trans Mountain pipeline began operating in mid-2024.The Financial Post reports Huntley tracks vessels using marine traffic data, including where tankers travel after loading crude oil at the Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby.Most of the oil departing the terminal is destined for China and South Korea, with the US the next-largest destination.Alberta government figures show 556 oil tankers loaded at Westridge between May 2024 and April 2026, with each tanker carrying approximately 800,000 barrels of oil.Roughly 65% of those shipments went to Asian markets, primarily China, while 35% went to the US, according to data from Premier Danielle Smith’s proposed West Coast Oil Pipeline Project..Trans Mountain CEO confident Smith’s BC Coast pipeline will get built.The expanded Trans Mountain system can transport 890,000 barrels per day (bpd) from Alberta to the BC coast, and the federally owned pipeline company has access to 26 storage tanks capable of holding a combined 5.5 million barrels.The Alberta government has been pushing for another pipeline to the West Coast capable of carrying one million barrels per day, and it was recently announced that the proposed pipeline would run roughly alongside the existing Trans Mountain system before terminating at a new export facility at Roberts Bank in Delta, BC.That new location would allow larger tankers to load Canadian oil, while ships that currently use Westridge face size restrictions because they must navigate the Burrard Inlet and pass beneath the Lions Gate and Second Narrows bridges.On August 1, Alberta’s pipeline proposal was given a boost when a notice published in the Canada Gazette said that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet may add the proposal to Ottawa’s list of projects considered to be in the national interest, which would streamline federal approvals.The federal government has said it will give notice by October 1 if the project qualifies for the designation.Smith’s government hopes the proposed pipeline and export terminal will be in operation by 2035.
