Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Providence (Nov 11/05) - The likelihood of a barge slamming into a pier of a future Mackenzie River bridge remains too great, an experienced sailor is warning.

Greg Whitlock, a certified first mate who has been working on tugs and barges since 1977, said the proposed navigation channel must be altered.

Vessels trying to pass under the bridge will first have to negotiate the Providence rapids and then a "dog-leg," or series of turns. There's only approximately 800 metres from the final turn buoy to the bridge. Strong winds and water levels can complicate matters, Whitlock, a Hay River resident, advised.

"When you come down through there you lose a fair amount of ability to control the vessel," he said.

At speeds of 10-12 knots (approximately 25 km/h) in the area of the future Mackenzie span, a barge carrying hundreds of thousands of litres of fuel would rupture if it hits a bridge pier, said Whitlock.

"Not if it happens, but when it happens, who's going to ultimately take responsibility for this?" he asked.

At the insistence of Northern Transportation Company Ltd. (NTCL), which sails most of the barges on the Mackenzie, the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation widened the distance between piers nearest the shipping lane from 140 metres apart to nearly 200 metres apart, said Andrew Gamble, project manager for the bridge.

Although NTCL's tugboats can push up to six barges, as a precautionary measure it will send no more than two barges under the bridge at a time, said Doug Camsell, manager of marine projects for NTCL. There are several other locations along the river where the company has to shuttle barges in smaller numbers, so it's not unusual, he noted.

NTCL's captains have said they are comfortable navigating under the bridge as planned at present, according to Camsell.

Transport Canada issued a permit for the bridge under the Navigable Waters Protection Act earlier this month. The bridge design is satisfactory, said Barry Putt, acting superintendent for Navigable Waters Protection.

The federal department has conducted two site assessments and will ensure that conditions - such as installing navigational aids and lighting - are followed. Putt said it was Transport Canada that directed the Bridge Corporation to contact the commercial shippers and address any misgivings.

"NTCL navigate that water more than anybody else... If they come back to us and say, 'We've looked at the plans and we feel that we can do this safely,' we would naturally assume that means there's little risk," he said. "I can't see a firm like NTCL not speaking up at that time when they have a legitimate concern with safety because it's their vessel that they're going to lose."

Camsell acknowledged that some level of risk is unavoidable.

"There's always a risk of a boat and a barge hitting something, whether it be a bridge or the bottom," he said. "The only way to totally prevent a collision is to not put the bridge in. We feel confident our operations will continue as usual once the bridge is in, though."

Dredging the river to create a different navigation channel can be done, but it would involve numerous "regulatory hoops" and would be expensive, said Camsell.

"The biggest thing is the cost. Who would pay for it?" he asked. "The Coast Guard no longer pays for dredging in Canada."

Imperial Oil and its partners are planning to send dozens of barges loaded with fuel and supplies along that very route should a Mackenzie Valley pipeline go ahead. The community of Fort Providence, like those upstream, relies on water from the Mackenzie River for drinking and bathing. The Deh Cho Bridge Corporation is aiming to begin construction on the span next spring. It's hoped to be completed before Christmas, 2008.