Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
As Canada looks at new major projects and export avenues to diverse international markets, the Port of Churchill in the Hudson's Bay has become a focus - potentially for moving oil or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to Europe or other destinations. Brian Zinchuk of PipelineOnline.ca did a detailed review of some of the problems of Churchill for shipping oil. Port of Churchill is iced in for much of the year, with perhaps only 4 months of open sea. However, people argue that by using icebreakers, Very Large Crude Carrier tankers could navigate at earlier or later times of the season. However, Canada does not have enough icebreakers for that purposes. Two new icebreakers will be delivered soon, but they are assigned to the Coast Guard. As well, oil production is something that happens 24/7. If a pipeline was built from Alberta to Churchill, there would need to be sufficient storage until the next season of shipping. At 1 million barrels of oil by pipeline a day, that would mean Churchill would have to build an oil tank farm larger than that in Cushing, Oklahoma, the West Texas Intermediate terminal. That would be enormous, as Zinchuk points out in his article, and would take years to build. Another problem is this. Alberta is looking to ship oil to world markets, rather than most stock going to the USA, so that we can get world market prices, rather than the present discounted rate. However, if you have a seasonal delivery of 2 million barrels of crude oil per day from Churchill when the bay is open for shipping, that will result in a drop in world prices, just the thing we are trying to avoid. Thus, it is important to carefully consider these pros and cons before saddling up your Polar Bear to ride in to Churchill, as Premier Wab Kinew says he would do. There are opportunities for expanded shipping, and we do need additional deep water ports in Canada, but we have to plan carefully. Zinchuk's full article can be read here: pipelineonline.ca/brian-zinchuk-lets-get-serious-about-shipping-oil-from-hudson-bay/#/?playlistId=0&videoId=0
Please like, share, and subscribe! Join Friends of Science Society: friendsofscience.org
As Canada looks at new major projects and export avenues to diverse international markets, the Port of Churchill in the Hudson's Bay has become a focus - potentially for moving oil or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to Europe or other destinations. Brian Zinchuk of PipelineOnline.ca did a detailed review of some of the problems of Churchill for shipping oil. Port of Churchill is iced in for much of the year, with perhaps only 4 months of open sea. However, people argue that by using icebreakers, Very Large Crude Carrier tankers could navigate at earlier or later times of the season. However, Canada does not have enough icebreakers for that purposes. Two new icebreakers will be delivered soon, but they are assigned to the Coast Guard. As well, oil production is something that happens 24/7. If a pipeline was built from Alberta to Churchill, there would need to be sufficient storage until the next season of shipping. At 1 million barrels of oil by pipeline a day, that would mean Churchill would have to build an oil tank farm larger than that in Cushing, Oklahoma, the West Texas Intermediate terminal. That would be enormous, as Zinchuk points out in his article, and would take years to build. Another problem is this. Alberta is looking to ship oil to world markets, rather than most stock going to the USA, so that we can get world market prices, rather than the present discounted rate. However, if you have a seasonal delivery of 2 million barrels of crude oil per day from Churchill when the bay is open for shipping, that will result in a drop in world prices, just the thing we are trying to avoid. Thus, it is important to carefully consider these pros and cons before saddling up your Polar Bear to ride in to Churchill, as Premier Wab Kinew says he would do. There are opportunities for expanded shipping, and we do need additional deep water ports in Canada, but we have to plan carefully. Zinchuk's full article can be read here: pipelineonline.ca/brian-zinchuk-lets-get-serious-about-shipping-oil-from-hudson-bay/#/?playlistId=0&videoId=0
Please like, share, and subscribe! Join Friends of Science Society: friendsofscience.org
