Canada pipeline plan points to bigger Pacific tanker trade

The Baltic Exchange Canada has moved closer to opening a major new crude export route to Asia, advancing plans for a Pacific Coast pipeline that could add more than 1m barrels per day of tanker-loading capacity from southern British Columbia. Prime minister Mark Carney and Alberta premier Danielle Smith unveiled the proposed route this week, saying the line would run from Bruderheim, northeast of Edmonton, to the southern British Columbia coast, broadly following the existing Trans Mountain corridor. The project is aimed at reducing Canada’s dependence on the US market and giving Alberta crude greater access to Asian buyers. The project would deepen Canada’s emergence as a Pacific crude exporter and create another long-haul aframax and potentially suezmax trade into Asia, depending on terminal configuration, parcel size and buyer demand. The Trans Mountain Expansion, which came online in May 2024, has already reshaped Canadian crude flows. Canada’s energy regulator said the expansion nearly tripled Trans Mountain system capacity to 890,000 barrels per day and increased western Canadian tidewater export capacity by around 700%. An average of 23 vessels per month departed the Westridge marine terminal between June 2024 and July 2025. Asian demand is already doing much of the pulling. Around two-thirds of all Canadian crude exports from the Trans Mountain system were destined for Asia-Pacific in the year to November 2025, with more than three-quarters of heavy crude exports from Vancouver heading to the region. The new pipeline remains politically and environmentally sensitive. Carney said Canada would preserve the oil tanker ban off northern British Columbia, while the proposed southern route would keep the project within an already established energy corridor. Sam Chambers Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune. Read Next July 3, 2026 Splash Wrap: Shipping in the spotlight July 2, 2026 AP Moller Holding takes over Ocean Yield July 2, 2026 Hormuz dispute shifts from access to control July 2, 2026 CMA CGM buys FedEx logistics arm in $1.4bn US push July 1, 2026 VLCC market adapts as Hormuz closure reshapes global crude flows Back to top button