The Chamber of Shipping is pleased to welcome Jane McIvor to the team as Senior Advisor, Communications. In this capacity, Jane will be assisting the team with efforts to increase communications for members and stakeholders on key issues and activities. The position is part time as Jane continues in her role as Executive Director of the Association of Pacific Ports. “Jane comes with a wealth of experience in the marine industry,” said Robert Lewis-Manning, President of the Chamber. “We look forward to drawing on her expertise to widen the scope and frequency of the Chamber’s outreach strategy.”

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority-led Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program has announced this year's measures to help in the recovery of the Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW).  Again vessels will be asked to voluntarily slowdown in SRKW key foraging areas in Haro Strait and Boundary Pass and at Swiftsure Bank from as early as June 1st. As part of the Chamber of Shipping's members' commitments under the SRKW Conservation Agreement under the Species at Risk Act, the measures are enhanced each year as the science around acoustic disturbance, prey availability and contaminants develops. Last year, thanks to the participation of the shipping lines and agents, underwater sound intensity was reduced by nearly 50% and just this week it was reported that the J pod is in the best condition in a decade.

The Office of British Columbia's Container Trucking Commissioner (OBCCTC) has published the Off-Dock Drayage in the Lower Mainland Recommendation Report. The report provides the Commissioner’s recommendations to address the issue of off-dock drayage activity in the Lower Mainland.  The Commissioner’s recommendations focus on three areas – regulatory scope, rates, and enforcement. Recommendations include application of the CTS Licence terms and conditions to companies affiliated with licensees, eliminating trip rates and the positioning movement rate, introducing minimum hourly rates for all drivers and require the installation of electronic logging devices on all trucks performing container trucking services.  Detailed consultations with stakeholders regarding recommendations made in the report will follow in the coming months.

Amazon currently employs 5,500 full- and part-time workers in B.C., which includes new workers at its new site in the Township of Langley opened in February.  This week Amazon announce plans to hire up to 2,950 workers. 950 of these new jobs will support three existing three fulfilment centres in New Westminister, Annacis Island, and Deltaport's industrial park. Amazon is planning to open four additional sites in the Lower Mainland by end of 2021, including a new 450,000 square foot advanced robotics fulfilment centre at the Port of Vancouver's Richmond Logistic Hub which will account for 1,000 jobs.  The other three new sites and 1,000 jobs will encompass new delivery stations in Pitt Meadows and Delta, and a sorting centre in Langley.  Amazon said last week that it has invested more than $3 billion in B.C. in the past decade.

Kansas City Southern informed CP Rail Thursday evening that it was terminating their purchase agreement after CN presented a revised US$33.6-billion offer that increased the number of its shares available to KCS shareholders and agreed to cover the break fee.  Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. has a big decision to counter, pocket the US$700 million break fee paid by CN Rail to KCS for terminating the CP purchase agreement, or it could hold tight and wait for a ruling from the US railway regulator, the Surface Transportation Board, on CN's voting trust of KCS shares.  CP Rail responded to the move by criticizing CN's offer and suggesting it will make a decision by May 21, the imposed deadline.  CN has indicated the completion of the transaction is expected to take place in the second half of 2022.

Seaspan ULC and the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation have donated $2.65 million to Lions Gate Hospital to support critical and virtual care services across the North Shore and beyond.  $1.5 million of the donation has been directed to the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation’s Critical Care Campaign and the remaining $1.15 million investment in virtual care will enable LGH to improve access to services for patients across the North Shore, the Sea-to-Sky and Sunshine Coast communities, and Bella Bella and Bella Coola, through video visits, home health monitoring, and secure messaging as well as the adoption of new virtual health platforms.

Tuesday, May 18 is International Museum Day. This year's theme is the "future of museums." The Vancouver Maritime Museum is asking supporters and friends to take a short survey on what they want in the future of the VMM. The survey takes less than five minutes to complete.  And while the marine industry sorely misses the Fireworks Night at the Museum, instead, they are planning a Virtual Evening at the Museum. Fred Lee will host and catering is being done by Salt + Sear. When you buy a ticket for dinner, the food is delivered to your door. Early bird tickets are on sale until May 25. Click here for more information.

A marine engineering company based in Newfoundland and Labrador has won the grand prize of $500,000 in a federal government competition to design a more full-efficient inshore fishing boat in Atlantic Canada. TriNav Marine Design of St. John's was one of three finalists to develop a hull that lowers operating costs and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.  With a 40 to 45 per cent reduction in fuel consumption and therefore emissions, the winning design looks similar to current hulls but reduces friction, eliminates hull attachments and uses high-efficiency propellers. It also incorporates a hybrid propulsion system with high-efficiency diesel generators that provide power to battery banks that drive the boat.

The ongoing mission to preserve aquatic life in Northern BC’s marine environment is a huge group effort, and one of the people at its heart is biologist Caitlin Smith. As the Prince Rupert Port Authority’s Environmental Technician, she contributes in many ways to preserving the North Coast’s marine habitats, especially when it comes to monitoring for invasive species. Each year, the Port participates in the Aquatic Invasive Species Program. A major component of this is the Settlement Plate Program, which monitors for invasive tunicates and bryozoans. From June through September, Smith helps deploy dozens of plates at marinas around Prince Rupert, Port Edward, Metlakatla and Lax Kw’alaams. At the end of the three months, the plates are brought to the surface and analysed for potential invasive species. Work is also underway in monitoring for European Green Crab in the North Coast.

Canada Border Services Agency officers in the Pacific Region have seized a large shipment of restricted chemicals. The agency's Intelligence Section identified the container for exam on Feb. 8th and this lead to the seizure of almost 18,000 litres of gamma-butyrolactone, or GBL, a Class A precursor under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act, with an estimated street value of over $1.8 million. According to a report by the World Health Organization, GBL can be "converted into GHB (date-rape drugs) in plain tap water without additional adjustments."

According to reports the US Senate has approved the Alaska Tourism Recovery Act that would permit large cruise ships to operate cruises to Alaska this summer.  If the motion is approved by the House and signed by President Biden, cruise ships could be sailing to Alaska this summer and bypassing Canada completely. The Act was a simple and direct measure that states that a roundtrip voyage transporting passengers between a port or place in the State of Alaska and a port or place in the State of Washington is deemed a foreign voyage for purposes of the law of the United States. The act would provide a temporary exemption to coincide with Canada's ban expiring in February 2022.

Waterfront Shipping this week performed the first barge-to-ship bunkering of methanol fuel at the Port of Rotterdam. The bunkering operation took place at the at the Royal Vopak’s Vopak Terminal Botlek using the bunker barge MTS Evidence, which supplied methanol fuel to Waterfront Shipping’s long-term chartered Takaroa Sun. The operation marked the first time commercial bunker barge was used to refuel a methanol-powered at Europe’s busiest seaport. As a marine fuel, methanol is globally available at close to 90 of the world’s 100 largest ports and meets strict IMO emissions regulations related to sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter.

Norwegian shipping company Klaveness Combination Carriers became the first shipping line to join a new initiative that will explore the use of Carbon Capture & Storage technologies (CCS) for ships to reduce CO2 emissions. Led by SINTEF Energy Research, the CCShip project will collaborate with key research and industrial organizations to explore carbon capture aboard ships. The main objective of the CCShip project is to develop cost-effective solutions for carbon capture and storage from ships, as well as to understand when CCS can be a more attractive technology than alternative solutions to reduce CO2 emissions from ships.

Egypt has announced plans to widen and deepen the southern part of the Suez Canal where the Ever Given ran aground in March this year. The head of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), Lt. Gen. Osama Rabie, announced details of the plan in a televised ceremony in the canal’s city of Ismailia. The plan includes widening the canal’s southernmost stretch by about 40 meters (yards) to the east, on the side of the Sinai Peninsula, Rabie said. That 30-kilometre segment would also be deepened to 22 metres, from the current 20 metres in depth. The plan also includes a 10-kilometre-long extension of a second lane of the waterway that opened in 2015.  Meanwhile the Ever Given was officially impounded this week while negotiations between the SCA and insurers continue on the appropriate compensation.  The investigation into the incident is expected to conclude this week.

Mercy Ships announced this week that the Global Mercy ™ has now completed deep water sea trials, one of the final milestones in the countdown towards the hospital ship’s delivery, equipping, maiden voyage and launch into service to sub-Saharan Africa in 2022. Robert Corley, Chief Operations Officer, confirmed that after Mercy Ships takes final delivery of the vessel, the ship will make its maiden voyage to Belgium as a guest of the Port of Antwerp.  While docked, the Global Mercy will complete several months of final outfitting and crewing. Mercy Ships expects to more than double the charity’s current impact with both life-changing surgeries and training of healthcare professions during the anticipated 50-year lifespan of the vessel.

The MV New Pinnacle, a chartered vessel from NYK Bulk and Projects Carriers, made its first call in Prince Rupert this week marking the significance of this growing trade to Asia. The arrangement with NYK came after Pinnacle signed three contracts with customers in Japan in a span of six months, underscoring both Japan's strong commitment to decarbonization and the strength of Pinnacle's competitive position in this market.

In 2020, exports of wood pellets from Prince Rupert saw a 33 per cent increase which played a major role in the spike in cargo volume in 2020 at the Port which also aims to be the second largest Port in Canada. Also, last year on May 29  Pinnacle Renewable Energy set a new record for the largest load of wood pellets ever shipped from Canada when the Panamax-class vessel MV Siboney M departed Westview Terminal with 63,601 tonnes of wood pellets bound for the United Kingdom.

British Columbia’s wood pellets are made entirely from the residuals from sawmilling, harvesting or low-grade logs rejected by the sawmills and pulp mills. Every year nearly 10 million cubic metres – or roughly 10 million telephone poles worth of wood is wasted in BC, and literally goes “up in smoke” in slash pile burns or is left to rot in the forest, becoming a significant wildfire hazard.

Capacity:  40,000 dwt
Gross Tonnage: 24,205
Length: 180m
Beam: 30m
Year Built: 2020
Flag: Panama