New navigation aids at Port of Vancouver to support cargo ships

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is installing new navigation aids in eastern Burrard Inlet to improve safety and efficiency for ship movements through the Second Narrows waterway.

The project includes solar-powered range lights, a sector light off Berry Point and illuminated pillars on the Second Narrows Rail Bridge. Installation is set to begin mid-January and be completed by spring, with testing by the Pacific Pilotage Authority and B.C. Coast Pilots starting in late April. 

“The new navigation aids will enhance marine safety and offer ship operators…more flexibility in their scheduling,” said Sean Baxter, the port authority’s acting director of marine operations and harbour master. “They will also boost efficiency and fluidity by allowing nighttime eastbound transits for larger ships—increasing the transit windows…by up to 38 per cent.” 

The upgrades will support more than 500 annual cargo ship calls to seven marine terminals in the area and address current nighttime transit restrictions for larger vessels in the Second Narrows traffic control zone. 

The initiative follows risk assessments conducted with the Canadian Coast Guard, Pacific Pilotage Authority and B.C. Coast Pilots.