Canada's newly appointed Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard,
Dominic LeBlanc, has confirmed that he will uphold the previous minister's stance on LNG vessels going through Head Harbour Passage. Vessels over a certain size, namely LNG-carrying tankers, are blocked from accessing this passage into
Passamaquoddy Bay.
New Fisheries Minister takes office
Policies were put into place over access to Head Harbour Passage by the former government's Fisheries Minister. After the arrival of new minister LeBlanc, members of the press made an inquiry at the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Agriculture Ministers' conference about the position of the new government on these same issues.
Le Blanc affirmed that he did not plan to change any of the policies relating to Head Harbour Passage, including the restriction which disallows LNG tankers to pass through. He stated that he agreed with the decision when it was made and had no plans to change what he considered to be a good decision.
What is the significance of Head Harbour Passage?
Passamaquoddy Bay is a large body of water shared between the US state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick. This bay has two major access points for ships, the largest of which is Head Harbour Passage. By upholding the restriction against LNG tankers, all access to Passamaquoddy Bay has been cut off for these types of large vessels.
It is the only passageway large enough to accommodate many of the vessels that would be capable of carrying LNG fuels.
Effects of denial of access for LNG tankers
This restriction has hindered the development of multiple LNG fuel facilities within the town of Robbinston, Maine, in the US. Because the US has no control over the Head Harbour Passage, those within the US have no ability to work around the decisions which have been made by the Canadian Fisheries Minister.
Twice in the past, companies have attempted to set up LNG terminals within Robbinston, but both have been thwarted due to the restriction on LNG vessels. An existing company,
Downeast LNG, has been attempting to set up a terminal in recent years, but again was unable to do so due to Canadian restrictions on the largest passageway into the bay.
Downeast LNG is planning to sell its existing facilities in Robbinston on July 1st. This will mark the third failed project attempting to set up an LNG fuel terminal in Passamaquoddy Bay, with no indication that future projects will succeed either.
Image: Map with arrow indicating the Head Harbour Passage in relation to Passamaquoddy Bay.
