Vancouver Airport Fuel Facilities Corporation is constructing a new fuel receiving, storage, and delivery system for the Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR) which features a new marine terminal, six fuel storage tanks, and an underground pipeline to Vancouver International Airport. The project includes three key areas:

The Marine Terminal is a fuel unloading facility capable of accommodating Panamex-sized vessels and is comprised of:

• An offshore unloading platform with ship berthing & mooring dolphins
• Onshore facility comprised of supporting buildings and equipment, built on substantial ground improvement zone
• Mechanical and electrical utilities and services
• River Intake firefighting system and
• Transfer pipeline from the marine terminal to storage facility.

The Fuel Storage Facility consists of six steel above-ground API650 storage tanks on ring foundations with a capacity of about 80Million liters. The facility includes:

• HDPE Liner containment system
• Outbound pump and filtration system
• Water and foam fire suppression systems
• Automated Programmable Logic Control system
• Security and surveillance systems and
• Electrical, Operations, Water Treatment, and Fire Suppression buildings

The 13km -14-inch, CSA Z662 underground steel pipeline that connects the Fuel Storage Facility to an existing storage facility at YVR. The pipeline consists of:

• Pipe within both City of Richmond and Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure land corridors
• 21 horizontal-directional-drills (HDD) crossing major roadways, utilities, and the Fraser River
• One guided horizontal auger bore (GHAB) across Sea Island Way
• 1,100 meters of open-cut trench installation within Bridgeport Road, one of the Lower Mainland’s most underground-utility-dense roads
• 1,100 meters of pipe installed within ‘airside’ of YVR’s security fence
• Remotely controlled and operated shut-off valves
• An extensive Impressed Current Corrosion protection system

In 2017, RAM was initially enlisted to provide a third-party estimate, followed by a value engineering exercise. This exercise prompted a comprehensive re-design of the tank foundations and pipeline, resulting in substantial cost savings. Impressed by the success of the value engineering re-design, the Client entrusted RAM with leading the entire project delivery. This strategic decision cultivated a solution-oriented project environment, enabling the team to collectively address issues with contractors. This collaborative approach proved pivotal in effectively managing regulatory bodies at municipal, provincial, and federal levels.

Negotiations with more than 25 critical landowners were successfully conducted to secure laydown areas and address access restrictions to their properties. Additionally, nearly 100 other landowners and affected parties were engaged in a collaborative manner. A noteworthy example of this cooperative approach was the extension of an existing public trail and extensive landscaping of the facility and trail with native species. This not only aligned with YVR’s project’s goals but also satisfied the concerns of the impacted parties. The use of trenchless technology as part of the pipeline through Richmond also minimized the disruption to local businesses and communities, maintained the integrity of all road infrastructure during installation, and reduced soil removal and relocation costs.

Completion of the Fuel Delivery Project has secured YVR’s fuel source for the next 50+ years, allowing Canada’s second busiest airport to continue to serve over 19 million passengers a year. The new facility will reduce the environmental impact of the airport, which currently relies on up to 70 tanker trucks a day to meet the airport’s peak demand. With over 1 million man-hours worked, the project was completed without a lost time incident.