| Douglas Channel | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Douglas Channel | |
  Douglas Channel Location in British Columbia | |
| Location | British Columbia,Canada |
| Coordinates | 53°40′N129°08′W / 53.667°N 129.133°W /53.667; -129.133 (Douglas Channel) |
| Type | Fjord |
| Ocean/sea sources | Pacific Ocean |
Douglas Channel[1] is one of the principalinlets (or fjords) of theBritish Columbia Coast, into which theKitimat River flows. The channel was named in honour ofSir James Douglas, the first governor of theColony of British Columbia.[2] The official length, from the head of Kitimat Arm and thealuminum smelter town ofKitimat toWright Sound (on theInside Passage ferry route), is 90 km (56 mi). The full length of the fjord's waterways includes waters between Kitimat and the open waters of theHecate Strait, outside of the coastalarchipelago, stretching for another 60 km (37 mi), reaching 140 km (87 mi) in-total.
A major side-inlet, theGardner Canal, is 90 km (56 mi) in length, accessible from the Kitimat Arm of the Douglas Channel viaDevastation Channel (20 km, 12 mi), on the east side ofHawkesbury Island. South of Hawkesbury isVerney Passage (40 km, 25 mi), which has a side-channel calledUrsula Passage (30 km, 19 mi). Total length of thefjord waterway dominated by Douglas Channel is therefore (not counting smaller side-inlets) roughly 320 km (200 mi), considerably longer thanNorway'sSognefjord (203 km, 126 mi) orGreenland'sScoresby Sound at 350 km (220 mi), though not as long as nearbyDean Channel's total of 335 km (208 mi).
Douglas Channel is a busy shipping artery because of themethanol import terminal (formerly methanol production and export) and thealuminum smelter at Kitimat, asbauxite must be shipped in and smelted aluminum shipped out. Expansions of the Port of Kitimat have increased the port capacity of the British Columbia's North Coast and decreased the shipping monopoly of the nearby city,Prince Rupert.[3]
The methanol production and export plant closed in 2006.[4]
Douglas Channel will be subject to new sensitive ship traffic when theLNG Canada natural gas storage and liquefaction terminal is completed and operational, which is estimated to be in 2025. The project, led by anliquefied natural gas (LNG) subsidiary ofRoyal Dutch Shell and several Asian partners and finally approved on October 1, 2018, will see largeLNG carrier ships loading liquefied natural gas at the future Kitimat LNG terminal, to carry it to export destinations, mainly in Asia.
TheGardner Canal is important for being the location of theKemano Generating Station of theNechako Diversion, which was built to supply power forKitimat. The head of the Gardner Canal, also, is the mouth of theKitlope River, a major wildlife and wilderness preserve and area of outstanding natural beauty and harsh weather.
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