Pipeline and energy storage company Kinder Morgan says it is only one link in a chain of companies responsible for the transportation and storage of the explosive chemicals that were reported missing last month.
Police said they were contacted by Kinder Morgan on Dec. 31 about two one-tonne bags of ammonium nitrate that may have gone missing from a 6,000-bag shipment in the fall.
But on Jan. 6, police said the company told authorities the inventory discrepancy was the result of a clerical error, and that all material had been accounted for -- a conclusion RCMP have not yet been able to confirm.
Lexa Hobenshield, a spokeswoman for the Texas-based company, said Kinder Morgan's Vancouver Wharves terminal is co-operating with the RCMP and other authorities conducting the probe, and that there are a number of other companies that handled the chemicals.
"Although the discrepancy was discovered by Vancouver Wharves employees there are many other links in the chain, including the point of origin, the customer, and the receiving terminal," she said.
"While the product was stored at Vancouver Wharves, it was stored in a secure facility that meets Transport Canada's strict security guidelines."
Ammonium nitrate is commonly used as a fertilizer but has also been used in explosives such as those in the World Trade Center bombings.
RCMP Cpl. Annie Linteau said there is no evidence so far of theft or criminal wrongdoing.
Linteau said the RCMP's threat level for the upcoming Olympic Games remains low and the force does not intend to adjust it as a result of the investigation.
With files from The Canadian Press
