Camping fuel prohibitions and limits when travelling on BC Ferries. ... We were told that last summer, the regulations changed as did BC Ferries Dangerous Goods policy and isobutane is now prohibited.
I emailed the BC Ferries Dangerous Goods Office yesterday to ask about carriage of isobutane camp fuel canisters on the northern route. After some initial miscommunication as to whether kayakers are foot passengers or vehicles passengers, they replied:
Hi Alex,
If no other camping fuels or propane are carried, vehicle and foot passengers can carry up to three (3) 1L containers of gaseous camping fuel (for example: UN1978, UN2037, UN1075, UN1268, and UN1950), or up to one (1) 5L container of liquid camp stove fuel without requiring dangerous goods documentation.
When you check in at the terminal, they can assist you with how to stow the camping fuels on the vessel (most likely in a locker on the main deck)
The
isobutane canisters I usually use are sold by weight, not volume, so I'm not sure how they would be measured against BC Ferries' volumetric regulation. The canisters I use are sold at a net weight of 8 oz (227 g), gross weight of 13.1 oz (374 g). I assume the pressurized isobutane inside the canister is less dense than water, so the interior volume must be somewhat greater than 227 mL. I can also hear liquid sloshing around in there, even inside a "full" canister, which means even more interior volume. At a guess, call it 250 mL per canister. The canisters are labelled with hazardous materials identification number UN1075, so these canisters are subject to the limit described by BC Ferries in their email: "three (3) 1L containers."
At 250mL per cannister, it would take twelve camp fuel canisters to equal the volume of BC Ferries' regulatory limit of three 1L containers. But, on the other hand, twelve canisters is a higher unit count than three containers, even though the volume is the same. So which is the limit—twelve canisters or three canisters?
I emailed the Dangerous Goods Office once again, my third email on this subject. They patiently replied:
Unfortunately, You are only permitted to carry up to three (3) 1L containers of gaseous camping fuels.
Similar to regulations surrounding jerry cans of gasoline – vehicle customers are permitted to carry up to one (1) 25L jerry can. However, you are not be permitted to carry five (5) 5L containers equaling 25L.
In your case the maximum amount is three (3) containers.
Thank you for confirming.
Three 8-oz isobutane canisters per kayaker is enough for a trip of a week or two, but it's pretty thin for anything over two weeks. Kayak trips up north tend to run longer than trips down south, so if you're kayaking out of Bella Bella, there's a good chance you won't be allowed to bring enough fuel with you on the ferry. They do sell larger sizes of isobutane canisters, which could help you stay under the three-container unit count, but I always prefer to carry multiple 8-oz canisters rather than a smaller number of larger canisters, just in case of punctures or accidental discharge. Also, the larger canisters are tippier than the 8-oz canisters, if your stove is one of those models where the burner sits directly on top of the canister. They sell
tripod stands that clip onto the bottom of canisters to help with the balance problem.
I will just note that last time I took the northern route, I brought five 8-oz canisters of isobutane. I just handed the ferry people a drybag full of canisters and they stowed it in the locker, no questions asked.
Alex
