New Brunswick MP Opposes LNG Traffic in Canadian Waters
Canadian Veteran Affairs Minister Greg Thompson says that Ottawa will not allow LNG tankers heading toward the three import terminals proposed for Passamaquoddy Bay in Main to transit Canadian waters, which the vessels would have to do in order to reach the proposed terminals. “We have stated that we will use every legal and diplomatic means to defend our position, which is ‘no’ to the transport of LNG tankers through Head Harbour Passage,” he said on Thursday. Downeast LNG president Dean Girdis counters this position, arguing that the LNG vessels have the right of innocent passage, a recognized international legal principle. Girdis also stated that such a ban could establish harmful international precedent for bodies of water like the Strait of Bahrain, where fuel-laden vessels transit regularly under the right of innocent passage. John Craig, the mayor of St. Andrews, New Brunswick, previously has noted that the “volatile, potentially explosive cargo” would counteract any right of innocent passage. The Canadian Press article is carried via today’s Energy Central Professional. [Subscription required]