With the dock fire at the Squamish Terminals extinguished as of Sunday afternoon, life is returning to a new normal at the Terminals, according to Kim Stegeman-Lowe, the company’s vice-president administration.
“While the fire has had a serious impact on Squamish Terminals, we have resumed operations,” Stegeman-Lowe told The Squamish Chief Tuesday.
She said although having only one dock presents some logistical challenges, the Terminals will be able to handle its current cargo volume. There are no plans to lay off any employees, she said.
The Terminals has about 100 employees, although up to 230 workers can be on the job in a 24-hour span when two ships are in port, Stegeman-Lowe said, adding most regular employees live in the Squamish area.
The Squamish Terminals sees between 60 to 80 ships a year at its facility, she said.
“Our long-term plan is to replace the dock with a modern structure built to current industry standards,” she said, adding the new dock would not include wood pilings.
Stegeman-Lowe acknowledged the impact the fire has had on Squamish residents.
“Obviously the fire had an impact on our community,” she said. “Thanks to the rapid and coordinated response between Squamish Terminals, the District of Squamish, Squamish Fire and other emergency responders and agencies, there were no injuries, and we were able to minimize the impact as best we could.”
The company is focusing on environmental protection, she said.
“As we dismantle the dock we will keep the booms in place to protect sensitive habitat and continue sampling air quality, particulate matter deposits, water quality and sediment for as long as necessary,” she said.
According to Stegeman-Lowe, a Unified Environmental Response lead team includes Squamish Terminals, B.C. Ministry of Environment, District of Squamish and Squamish Nation. The team continues to work with Vancouver Coastal Health, Western Canada Marine Response Corporation and other agencies to address the full scope and needs of the response to the dock fire, she said in a news release.
The financial cost of the fire is still unclear, according to Stegeman-Lowe, but the company is working with its insurance company to assess all costs including emergency response efforts that the Terminals will be responsible for reimbursing.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to Stegeman-Lowe.
