Canada Wants Even Newer Oil Tank Cars Phased Out By 2025
OTTAWA, March 11 (Reuters) - Canada proposed tough new oil tank car standards on Wednesday and said even tank cars coming into service now would have to be off the rails by 2025 at the latest.
The proposed standards call for a hull thickness of 9/16 inch, up from the current 7/16 inch or half inch, depending on car type.
Older DOT-111 cars are being replaced in Canada by CPC-1232 cars, but even these will have to be phased out by 2023 or 2025, depending on whether they are jacketed or not, under the proposed standards. Jacketed cars have an outer cover that provides additional thermal protection.
Although they are deemed somewhat safer than the older DOT-111 cars, nine CPC-1232 cars ruptured in a fiery Canadian National Railway Co accident in northern Ontario on Saturday.
Canada said the United States is following its own regulatory process and will make its own decision on this standard. Nonetheless, Canada said the new car will be called TC/DOT-117. TC stands for Transport Canada and DOT for U.S. Department of Transportation.
Reuters previously reported that advanced braking systems - electronically controlled pneumatic or ECP brakes - could be part of the standard.
Transport Canada said it planned to include braking requirements, including ECP, in separate regulations rather than the tank car standards.
The rail industry has been pushing the White House to drop the braking requirement, saying it would be very costly and not significantly improve safety.
A rash of oil-train derailments in the United States and Canada have added to pressure to make tankers less vulnerable to rupture and explosion in the event of a mishap. Oil increasingly travels by rail because of swelling output in the two countries and a shortage of pipelines.
In July 2013, an oil train derailed in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, killing 47 people and destroying the heart of the town. Long oil trains regularly pass through larger metropolitan areas.
Earlier on Wednesday, Transport Minister Lisa Raitt told Reuters that, while the United States and Canada are near agreement on a tougher standard for oil-by-rail tanker cars, they might diverge on the phase-in period.
She said they were close "on a tank car standard agreement, but not necessarily on the time frame. ... Time is of the essence for us."
(Additional reporting by Leah Schnurr and David Ljunggren. Editing by Andre Grenon)
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.
- Weatherford CEO's Rebound Plan Relies On Getting Smaller
- Iran Says Oil Market Is Too Tight For US Zero Exports Target
- China's Squeezed 'Teapots' Eye Petchem Path To Riches
- Baker Hughes: US Drillers Add Oil Rigs For Second Week In Three
- Venezuela Hands China More Oil Presence, But No Mention Of New Funds
- How Likely Is an All-Out War in the Middle East Involving the USA?
- Rooftop Solar Now 4th Largest Source of Electricity in Australia
- US Confirms Reimposition of Oil Sanctions against Venezuela
- Analyst Says USA Influence on Middle East Seems to be Fading
- EU, Industry Players Ink Charter to Meet Solar Energy Targets
- Russian Ships to Remain Banned from US Ports
- Brazil Court Reinstates Petrobras Chair to Divided Board
- EIB Lends $425.7 Million for Thuringia's Grid Upgrades
- Var Energi Confirms Oil Discovery in Ringhorne
- Seatrium, Shell Strengthen Floating Production Systems Collaboration
- An Already Bad Situation in the Red Sea Just Got Worse
- What's Next for Oil? Analysts Weigh In After Iran's Attack
- USA Regional Banks Dramatically Step Up Loans to Oil and Gas
- EIA Raises WTI Oil Price Forecasts
- How Likely Is an All-Out War in the Middle East Involving the USA?
- Venezuela Authorities Arrest Two Senior Energy Officials
- Namibia Expects FID on Potential Major Oil Discovery by Yearend
- Oil Markets Were Already Positioned for Iran Attack
- Is The Iran Nuclear Deal Revival Project Dead?
- Petrobras Chairman Suspended
- Oil and Gas Executives Predict WTI Oil Price
- An Already Bad Situation in the Red Sea Just Got Worse
- New China Climate Chief Says Fossil Fuels Must Keep a Role
- Oil and Gas Execs Reveal Where They See Henry Hub Price Heading
- Equinor Makes Discovery in North Sea
- Macquarie Strategists Warn of Large Oil Price Correction
- DOI Announces Proposal for Second GOM Offshore Wind Auction
- Standard Chartered Reiterates $94 Brent Call
- Chevron, Hess Confident Embattled Merger Will Close Mid-2024
- Analysts Flag 'Remarkable Feature' of 2024 Oil Price Rally