I very much appreciate the opportunity to speak to that.
Pipelines have proven to be the safest way to move large volumes of oil over time. They are very safe, and we continually learn how to improve them. Over time, compared to pipelines that were built before, you will have seen stronger steel, better coating, and improved construction practices, such that actually 100% of the welds themselves are X-rayed to ensure they meet the standards set by the National Energy Board. Certainly the steel, the process of building the pipe, and all the materials have been enhanced very much, such that there has not been any significant incident in terms of moving products safely through a pipeline that has been built within the last 35 years. Clearly, history has shown that pipelines are safe and are continually getting safer.
Of course we'll apply all of that learning to this one when we look at the country we are going through to ensure it can be built safely, since we will be crossing many world-class waterways. Certainly we'll go to the extreme to make sure it can be built safely and so that there's a good record about how that can happen.
With respect to the ships, the first thing we did was to model VLCCs--very large crude carriers--going into the Kitimat harbour using experienced B.C. pilots. That proved that the VLCCs could actually go unaided into the Douglas Channel safely. Notwithstanding that, to ensure safety we will make sure the ships are modern. They need to be double-hulled. The ships and crews will have to be vetted by independent agencies. As well, they'll operate under restrictions in terms of the speed they can travel in the normal course and whether they can access the channel if there are any wind, visibility, or wind-wave disruptions. Again, we're putting in operational procedures that will enhance safety.
The biggest thing we're doing is that notwithstanding that ships can go in unaided, we will tether the loaded ships to a tug. Those tugs are very powerful. They can change the course of a ship or stop it if it loses power. So that's the biggest one that reduces.... It takes a safe operation and makes the chance of an incident remote. There will also be a second tug in association with the ships travelling in and out, which will have first-response capacity in case there is ever an incident or to help the first tug. Again, we've gone to great measures to ensure we have a world-class safe operation.
Thank you.