The Berth Two and Lynn Creek Estuary Offset Project - PER #21-068

What's involved?

Neptune is proposing to replace the two existing potash shiploaders and the related conveyor systems, and an in-water supporting wall at berth two. Neptune is also proposing to complete marine habitat restoration activities in the nearby Lynn Creek estuary.

These two activities are referred to as the Berth Two and Lynn Creek Estuary Offset (B2 and LCE) Project.

Thank you to all those who shared their feedback with us. Additional proposed project updates will be posted here as information becomes available.

Project Overview Share your Feedback Learn More
Neptune Lynn Creek Project Overview

Project Overview

Why?

The existing two quadrant style potash shiploaders at berth two are over 50 years old, are nearing the end of their functional life and need to be replaced. The new shiploader will have a different configuration with one loading arm instead of two. The in-water supporting wall will also need to be replaced and, at the same time, will be upgraded to the latest seismic and Sea Level Rise requirements.

With its new design, the new supporting wall will change the seabed footprint at berth two – both during construction activities and once complete. As a result, Neptune will also complete a habitat enhancement project at the Lynn Creek estuary, which is required by Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program.

The Details - Berth Two

The new equipment will include a single traveling-slewing shiploader and related conveyor systems. The shiploader will be fabricated off-site and transported to Neptune by barge for final assembly and commissioning.

The new supporting wall, known as a ‘combi-wall’ will replace the current sheet pile wall. The combi-wall will be made up of large column pilings (king piles) interspaced with sheet piles between the columns, secured with anchor rods to the existing land-based anchor wall. The supporting wall will be a barrier between land and sea and will also be a support structure for the shiploader infrastructure above.

Neptune Berth Two Before
Before: An aerial view of berth two as it exists today.
Neptune Berth Two After
After: An aerial view rendering of berth two with the new proposed shiploading infrastructure.

For many in the community, the proposed changes may be difficult to notice because berth two is located in the southeast corner of our site. What you will see though is our signature ‘Neptune turquoise’ on some of the new equipment.

Spirit Trail before
Before: The view of berth two from the Spirit Trail overpass with the existing potash shiploader to the right of the photo.
Spirit Trail after
After: A rendering of berth two from the Spirit Trail overpass with the new proposed potash shiploader to the right of the photo.

The Details – Lynn Creek Estuary

There will be two parts of the Lynn Creek estuary activities. The first part will involve placing small to medium sized rock into the estuary to enhance the habitat for a variety of marine vegetation and to provide refuge habitat for outmigrating juvenile salmon. Some of the rock may be visible at low tide, but most will be underwater, providing a new place for marine life to grow and thrive. Neptune will also be expanding its existing bull kelp restoration research to the estuary, planting bull kelp to increase the quality of fish habitat and further enhance the marine environment.

Neptune Lynn Creek Estuary Before
Before: An aerial view of Lynn Creek estuary as it exists today.
Neptune Lynn Creek Estuary After
After: An aerial view rendering of Lynn Creek estuary with the rocks in place – most of which be below the water.

Project Timeline

Our permit application is currently being reviewed by the port authority, and as part this review, we want your feedback (community_questions@neptuneterminals.com). The deadline for feedback is October 26, 2023.

Should we receive approval from the port authority, the construction activities at berth two are anticipated to begin in 2024 with the new components of our potash system commissioned and fully operational by early 2027.

The activities at Lynn Creek estuary are anticipated to begin in early 2024 and would take approximately three weeks – currently planned for completion before the end of February 2024.

Share Your Feedback

Thank you to everyone for sharing your feedback during our public engagement period, which extended from September 27, 2023 to October 26, 2023

For questions about the proposed B2 LCE project, please contact us:

Email: community_questions@neptuneterminals.com
Or Call: 604-983-7935

For questions about the port authority’s Project and Environmental Review of the proposed project, please contact the port authority at PER@portvancouver.com or 604.665.9047.

To receive future news and event updates, sign up using the form at the bottom of the page.

Learn More

Construction Activities

Construction at berth two is anticipated to take 26 months and construction at Lynn Creek estuary is anticipated to take three weeks, with the majority of the activities occurring within the standard port authority construction days and hours (i.e., Monday to Saturday, 7:00am – 8:00pm).

As part of our permit application, Neptune has requested permission for extended hours because some construction activities may need to be done outside of the standard days and hours at points throughout construction. As we have done with previous projects, should extended construction activities be required and permitted, we will limit construction to low impact activities and will proactively notify neighbours in advance of these activities getting underway.

Traffic

While construction activity will require vehicle traffic to transport equipment, supplies and construction personnel, site access will either be from the existing Low Level Road to berth two or by barge to berth two and the Lynn Creek estuary. As a result, we anticipate minimal, if any, impact to our adjacent residential, industrial, commercial neighbours, or vessel traffic.

Noise

Neptune will closely monitor noise levels at both sites to ensure construction activity does not result in a noticeable increase to average existing noise levels.

The demolition of the shiploader and related berth, as well as the subsequent pile driving activities at berth two will be the primary sources of noise during construction and may result in noise extending beyond the terminal perimeter. It is anticipated that these activities will take six to eight months to complete.

Neptune will limit impact pile driving to the standard port authority construction days and hours only and will use a variety of methods to further minimize noise, including: turning off diesel engines and using electric power whenever possible, combining the use of strobe lights with lower volume back-up alarms on construction vehicles when appropriate, and avoiding the use of high-noise power tools during structural steel construction.

Neptune will also follow noise reduction best practices for the Lynn Creek estuary marine activities.

Neptune has two offsite noise monitoring stations that will be active throughout construction and also has a comprehensive process in place to investigate and address noise concerns, including identifying the noise source – whether from construction activities, existing operations or something else – and putting appropriate mitigations in place.

Lighting

In most cases, additional lighting will not be required as the majority of construction activities will happen during daytime hours. When additional lighting is needed for safe work practices, lighting will be positioned down and away from residential areas to focus only on work areas and shields will be used for welding.

Air Quality

During construction, proactive steps will be taken to minimize the potential for air quality impacts, including restricting vehicle and equipment idling, only using stationary equipment such as generators, covering material loads, and maintaining the use of site-wide dust control suppression and monitoring.

Neptune also has ongoing monitoring in place in ensure continued compliance with its Metro Vancouver air quality permit.

Marine Habitat

While most of the marine environment at berth two is considered ‘low quality’ with little marine vegetation and fish habitat, disturbance to the marine environment will occur as existing infrastructure is removed and new infrastructure is installed. The structure of the new combi-wall will also have a different seabed footprint from what existing today with the large column pilings (king piles) interspaced with sheet piles between the columns.

During construction at berth two, barges and barge-mounted equipment will be used to remove, transport and install materials and infrastructure, and Neptune is proposing a number of mitigations to minimize potential impacts. These are fully detailed within the port authority approved Berth Two Construction Environmental Management Plan[hyperlink].

The primary intent of the Lynn Creek estuary activities are to offset the anticipated disturbances to the marine environment at berth two resulting from the installation of the new berth two supporting wall.

Lynn Creek estuary construction activities will be fully marine-based. During construction, barges and barge-mounted equipment will be used to transport and place materials in the designated project area. A separate Lynn Creek Estuary Construction Environmental Management Plan [hyperlink] has also been developed and approved by the port authority.

Future Operations

Once construction is complete, there will be no anticipated incremental impacts to traffic, rail activity, vessel activity, noise, air quality or light as the project is intended to replace existing equipment and positively enhance Lynn Creek Estuary the marine habitat.

Want to Learn More?

Looking to learn more about what is being proposed and how we will complete the project? As part of Neptune’s port authority permit application, we have prepared a number of technical reports, which are listed below and available for review.

Technical Reports

You can also learn more about where potash comes from and how it is used today in About Us.

Have additional questions? Please contact us.

Neptune Terminals
community_questions@neptuneterminals.com | 604.983.7935

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
PER@portvancouver.com | 604.655.9047
(For questions about the port authority’s Project and Environmental Review of the proposed project, or visit the port authority's website for additional information.)