A few hours before sunset on May 22, a tanker called the Dubai Angel set off for China with the first shipment of oil from the recently expanded Trans Mountain pipeline.
It was a moment years of acrimonious debate and billions in cost overruns in the making. After putting itself in the position of owning a pipeline while setting caps on oil and gas emissions, the federal government was muted in its cheer. Suncor, which chartered the ship, was also measured in its excitement.
But the significance was not lost on the captain of the Dubai Angel. Today, we speak with Captain Raghuvendra Rai about that historic morning, the added dangers of sailing in the perilous world of 2024, and what happens next.
Up top
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In focus
Hope floats
Captain Raghuvendra Rai poses on his tanker with the Westbridge Marine Terminal in the background.The Globe and Mail
Captain Raghuvendra Rai is a 42-year-old father of young twin girls from a town called Azamgarh, in the landlocked Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Capt. Rai has sailed Aframax tankers for the length of his 20-year career, one in which he has carried out missions across millions of nautical miles. In most respects, then, the operation early that morning at the Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby was business as usual. But his job as captain requires staying on top of geopolitical and industry news, so the moment was not lost on him and his crew.
When you carried out those 550,000 barrels of oil from B.C.’s coast on May 22, was it business as usual, or were you aware of the significance of that moment for Canada?
From the operations perspective it was business as usual, but onboard we were aware of the significance of our call to this terminal.
Safety is always at the prime of our operations and this being a maiden call to this terminal, our operations were closely monitored by Transport Canada and authorities.
We were proud to be the first vessel loading at a brand-new terminal worth billions of dollars since a new expansion of the major pipeline was completed in the port of Vancouver.
Such a project will surely bring hope for economic prosperity not only to locals but the international shipping as a whole. We pray for its continued success.
Can you recall what that morning was like? Were there any added layers of complexity or added challenges? There might have been a lot at stake for industry watchers here, but perhaps it was like any other day for you?
There weren’t any specific complexities or additional challenges during the call. The morning was pretty good – calm weather with some fog and rain, which is normal during this time of the year.
The approach to the terminal went well, with the assistance of harbour pilots. The stretch of transit from Juan de Fuca entrance up to the berth was navigated in almost 22 hours.
Were you met by anyone from the government or did you just work and meet with your usual peers and partners at the port?
As for meeting anyone from the government, no, not for the cargo or terminal. Only government officials we met during our stay were from border patrol, immigration and customs. We did have representatives from our charterers present on board. I think they just wanted to oversee the first operation.
As you monitor the news, what is important for you to know and how often are you updated? Daily?
Industry news is definitely relevant but a brief every morning is not always required. Although, certain updates might be critical and we are briefed about them ASAP. For example, the shipping crisis in the Red Sea has resulted in a lot of updated protocols for us.
Are these updated protocols factored into business as usual now?
If you are transiting through or near areas of security concern, then yes. We adopt various measures like rerouting the ship, hardening the vessel by using razor wires and transiting in convoys protected by naval forces.
Vessels are also avoiding the Suez Canal and Red Sea altogether and instead transiting the Cape of Good Hope. Commercial vessels like ours can not do much against missiles and drone attacks.
Will you be repeating this route over the long term?
Our vessel is, in what is known in the shipping industry, the tramp trade. This means that the vessel is not always following a set route and can be chartered for various types of voyages. That being said, the vessel can be chartered by the same company again and might repeat the voyage. Coincidentally, we are currently heading back to Vancouver to load crude oil from Westridge once again.
You can read the full interview here.
Charted
The TMX effect
Canada recorded a surprise trade surplus of $638-million in June, data showed on Tuesday, mainly led by a jump in shipments of crude oil from the recently expanded Trans Mountain pipeline.
A surge in exports of gold also boosted exports and, together with energy products shipments, helped exports overtake imports for the first time in four months, Statistics Canada said. “They are shipping more through the Trans Mountain pipeline into Asia-Pacific, which is really positive,” said Prince Owusu, senior economist with Export Development Canada.
The Canadian Press
The outlook
On our radar and reading list
In the pipeline: Speaking of the TMX, Pembina Pipeline Corp. reports earnings today. Some analysts say the company would be a logical buyer.
In private: The recent Ticketmaster security breach is putting identity monitoring services in the spotlight.
In space, no one can hear Boeing’s public relations department scream. NASA said the two astronauts delivered to the International Space Station by Boeing’s faulty Starliner might be stranded there until February.
Morning markets
More turbulence hit markets ahead of key U.S. jobs data this morning, with Asian and European stocks mostly lower in the wake of Monday’s global selloff. Wall Street futures pointed down while TSX futures were flat.
Overseas, the pan-European STOXX 600 was down 0.83 per cent in morning trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 1.08 per cent, Germany’s DAX slid 0.63 per cent and France’s CAC 40 gave back 1.02 per cent.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed down 0.74 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was flat.
The Canadian dollar traded at 72.74 U.S. cents.