Transport Canada issues protective direction on crude oil handling

OTTAWA, Ont.–The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, has issued a protective direction  requiring any person who imports or offers for transport crude oil to conduct classification tests on crude oil.

Effective immediately, any person who imports or offers for transport crude oil must:

• Conduct classification testing of any crude oil being classified as UN 1267 or UN 1993, which has not undergone classification testing since July 7, 2013;

• Make those tests results available to Transport Canada upon request;

• Update their Safety Data Sheets and immediately provide them to Transport Canada’s Canadian Transport Emergency Centre; and

• Until such testing is completed, ship all such crude oil as Class 3 Flammable Liquid Packing Group I, when shipping by rail.

Transport Canada says it is working in cooperation with the Transportation Safety Board as it conducts its investigation into the tragic accident in Lac-Mégantic, and building upon the safety advisories received from the Transportation Safety Board  further enhancing the safety of railway operations and dangerous goods transportation in Canada.