Vard Electro has been awarded a contract for an innovative hybrid battery power system with Atlantic Towing to be integrated on their vessel Atlantic Shrike. Atlantic Towing is the first company to implement this multiple mode application of battery technologies on a single vessel in the Canadian offshore oil and gas industry and has received funding for the project through Petroleum Research Newfoundland & Labrador (PRNL) as a component of the offshore research, development and demonstration program of Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF). The funding will support pioneering upgrades to the Platform Supply Vessel, Atlantic Shrike and allows the integration of battery systems into the vessel’s existing diesel-electric propulsion plant.

The Port Alberni Port Authority (PAPA) is pleased to welcome Dr. Arne Elias to its Board of Directors. Dr. Elias was selected by the City of Port Alberni as its board representative following the recent expiration of Ken McRae’s term. Dr. Elias is well-known locally as the Vice Chair of the Air Quality Society and President of the Marine Rescue Society and has an impressive background in the marine, transportation and resource management sectors with a PhD and an MBA from the University of British Columbia. PAPA also welcomed Kate Smith as the new administrative Operations Manager, effective June 28, 2021. Kate brings valuable experience from the hospitality industry with demonstrated commitment to customer service, business growth and problem solving.

Seaspan Shipyards seeks to advance digitally-enabled solutions that build competitive advantage within domestic and international markets. These solutions utilize digital twins, digital threads, integrated analytics, and real-time sensing systems to support collaborative development and design processes. Resulting in a more effective build cycle and vessels with optimized performance capabilities and more efficient operations over the lifetime of the vessel. The new program, called the HoloShip Initiative, will see Seaspan invest in digital projects that create strong collaborations and focus growth in Canadian innovation-based companies. To find out more about Expression of Interest Guidelines, click here.

Trans Mountain Corporation has released its inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report. The report communicates the environmental, social and governance initiatives and key metrics that demonstrate progress to date and the company’s commitment to continual improvement. “Trans Mountain’s success has been built on a solid and unwavering commitment to doing the right thing, for the right reasons. Reporting on our commitments, our performance and our aspirations through this report is our way of taking the next step and more broadly sharing our journey,” said Ian Anderson, President and CEO, Trans Mountain Corporation. “For the first time, in our inaugural ESG report, we are presenting our story through the lens of environment, social and governance considerations.” Download the report here.

The Chamber of Shipping was pleased to hear the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announce the revocation of the ban on cruise ships beginning November 1, 2021. “Recognizing the months of planning that it will take to resume cruise in time for the 2022 season, the Minister’s message today is a clear and positive signal to the industry to prepare,” said President Robert Lewis-Manning. “We were also very pleased that the Government of Canada is working with their U.S. counterparts to ensure a harmonized approach and experience for cruise passengers.”

The inter-agency collaboration between Canada’s Transport Canada, Public Health Agency Canada, Canadian Border Services Agency and U.S. counterparts Department of Transport, Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection promises to provide a holistic and harmonized North American approach for cruise to restart safely in Canada. Ensuring adequate resources are available for a smooth restart will be crucial to the successful resumption of Canada’s cruise industry.

“Transport Canada’s intention to have a seamless process for passengers – from flight to embarkation and further to shore excursions – will allow for risk mitigation for the communities on the West Coast who rely on the cruise industry while ensure the health of those communities is kept as a paramount consideration,” Lewis-Manning said. “Given the significant contribution the cruise industry provides to local and national economies, a confirmed restart of the cruise industry is welcome news indeed.”

The Chamber is committed to working with government, the cruise industry and tourism associations to provide support, advice and collaboration as needed.

Clear Seas has launched a new Marine Incidents and Accidents dashboard which provides a comprehensive, first-of-its-kind publicly available picture of marine shipping incidents and accidents in and around Canadian waters. It combines Canadian and U.S. data sources and accesses thousands of reports of vessels involved in incidents and accidents – from cargo ships, tugboats, cruise ships, and ferries – over a 10-year period.  This powerful new resource will enable users to analyze previous trends, allowing them to learn from past events, better assess risk, and help build a safer and more responsible marine shipping industry. Explore the dashboard and project highlights here.

The response effort to remove approximately 60 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and diesel from the MV Schiedyk, a historic shipwreck from 1968 in the area of Nootka Sound has been successful.  Jointly managed by the Canadian Coast Guard, BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation, the operation was conducted by Resolve Marine Group and supported by Western Canada Marine Response Corporation and other contractors, including the Canadian-registered Atlantic Condor vessel, which acted as the operations platform on the water. Remotely operated vehicles drilled holes into the vessel’s four fuel tanks and secured a drainage valve with a hose attached for pumping operations. To remove the heavy fuel oil, hot water was injected into the tanks to liquefy the oil within. The oil and water mixture was then pumped to the surface through the hoses and onboard the Atlantic Condor, where the oil and water were separated. The tanks onboard the MV Schiedyk were then flushed until fuel was no longer detected.

The Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, marked two important milestones for Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan. First, he announced almost $1.5 million for the removal of 32 abandoned boats in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador through the Abandoned Boats Program. In addition, the Minister of Transport commemorated the second anniversary of the passing of the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, which prohibits oil tankers carrying crude and persistent oils as cargo from stopping, loading, or unloading at ports or marine installations in northern British Columbia.

The Royal Canadian Navy is launching its long-anticipated push to replace Canada’s beleaguered submarine fleet, setting the stage for what will almost certainly be an extremely controversial debate around the need for such vessels. Defence officials revealed to The Canadian Press this month that a dedicated team is being created to start figuring out what Canada needs in new submarines as the sunset on the military’s existing fleet draws steadily closer. The move responds to a growing sense of urgency within defence and industry circles about the need to start work on such a project given the age of Canada’s existing submarines and the amount of time needed to design and build such vessels. Read the full story from nationalnewswatch.com here.

Transport Canada has issued a Ship Safety Bulletin to provide stakeholders with general information about the new Ballast Water Regulations that came into force on June 3, 2021. The regulations apply to Canadian vessels everywhere and all vessels in waters under Canadian jurisdiction; impose requirements based on the vessel’s length, its ballast water capacity, its date of construction, and its area of operation; and maintain foundational requirements from the former regulations that can still be applied to the amended regime, such as reporting requirements. The Regulations are split into four groups: international vessels, domestic and Great Lake vessels, vessels of non-parties, and vessels subject to the equivalent compliance regime. Click here to read the full bulletin.

Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announced that the National Trade Corridors Fund has officially received additional funding of $1.9 billion and that projects can now be financed. Applications are now being accepted and assessed under the fund’s continuous call for proposals. This new funding will build on the $1.9 billion committed to date for 89 projects nationally through the National Trade Corridors Fund. With private and public sector partners joining the federal government with their own contributions, these projects represent $3.9 billion worth of investments. In the Greater Vancouver Region, the National Trade Corridors Fund is contributing $374 million for 16 projects to build a more fluid road, rail, and marine gateway through Canada’s busiest port. With partner contributions, this has brought $967 million of total investments to support trade and growth.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has released its investigation report on the 2019 striking of the anchored bulk carrier Pan Acacia by the bulk carrier Caravos Harmony in Vancouver Harbour, B.C. On 17 March 2019, the bulk carrier Caravos Harmony struck the anchored bulk carrier Pan Acacia while proceeding to anchorage D in Vancouver Harbour. Both vessels sustained damage. No pollution or injuries were reported. The investigation determined that communication breakdowns impacted the team’s situational awareness and resulted in different understandings of the emerging circumstances. Read the full release here.

The Canadian Coast Guard took delivery of a new full-flight helicopter simulator to assist pilots who provide support to ships engaged in critical maritime work including aids to navigation, environmental response, icebreaking operations, and in support of search and rescue as needed. With a fleet of 22 helicopters, the simulator, designed and built by CAE Inc. in Montreal, Quebec, will become the main training tool for CCG helicopter pilots. Equipped with a revolutionary roll-on/roll-off cockpit conversion system, the full-flight simulator is equipped to provide training on Coast Guard’s two different helicopter types making it a first of its kind helicopter simulator in North America.

The governments of Canada and the United States announced that they have signed a new four-year “Action Plan” under their Joint Statement of Cooperation—first signed in 2000—that commits both countries to work together on transboundary issues and challenges facing the Salish Sea ecosystem. Under the action plan, the two nations will continue to engage with partners across the region to advance shared priorities for ecosystem health, including information sharing, improving transboundary coordination, and reporting on ecosystem health. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also updated their joint “Health of the Salish Sea Ecosystem Report” analyzing ten indicators of the health of the Salish Sea.

US President Biden has signed an Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy aimed at enforcing antitrust laws to combat the excessive concentration of industry, the abuses of market power, and the harmful effects of monopoly and monopsony. The order recognizes that a whole-of-government approach is necessary to address overconcentration, monopolization, and unfair competition in the American economy. Agencies are to further the polices that support the development of pro‑competitive regulations and approaches to procurement and spending, and by rescinding regulations that create unnecessary barriers to entry that stifle competition. The Federal Maritime Commission must "vigorously enforce the prohibition of unjust and unreasonable practices in the context of detention and demurrage pursuant to the Shipping Act," and seek recommendations on improvements from the National Shipper Advisory Committee.  The World Shipping Council responded that normalized demand, not regulation will solve supply chain delays.

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Shell International Petroleum Company Limited (Shell) have agreed to work closely together to help accelerate the decarbonization of the global shipping sector. The long-term memorandum of understanding will help MSC and Shell to play enhanced roles in the energy transformation of shipping, as developers and early adopters of innovative technologies and fuel solutions. The companies plan to develop a range of safe, sustainable and competitive technologies that can reduce emissions from existing assets and help to enable a net-zero emissions future for shipping.

Cosco (Cayman) Mercury Co., a subsidiary of Cosco Shipping Holdings, has placed an order at Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry (Yangzhou) for the construction of ten containerships at a total cost of $1.5bn. The contract comprises of six 14,092 teu containerships and four 16,180 teu containerships, which are expected to be delivered during December 2023 to September 2024, and from June 2025 to December 2025, respectively. The shipbuilding transaction is in line with the 14th Five Year Plan of the group, supporting the group to maintain its first-tier position in the industry and transportation capacity, increase the competitive advantage of the group and compel the expansion of new markets, said Cosco Shipping Holdings.

Shipowners' industry groups are raising concerns about the new European "Fit for 55" decarbonization plan, which will impose Europe's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) on vessel emissions for the first time. The measure covers all intra-EU voyages and 50 per cent of the emissions of each voyage to and from European ports.  "Other than as an ideological revenue raising exercise, which will greatly upset the EU’s trading partners, it’s difficult to see what extending the EU ETS to shipping will achieve towards reducing CO2, particularly as the proposal only covers about 7.5 per cent of shipping’s global emissions," said Guy Platten, the secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping. "This could seriously put back climate negotiations for the remaining 92.5 per cent of shipping emissions." Read the full story from Maritime Executive here.

The UK’s Royal Navy (RN) confirmed an outbreak of COVID-19 on the flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth. According to a RN statement, there are at least 100 confirmed cases on board the aircraft carrier, which is currently transiting the Indian Ocean as part of its seven-month deployment leading the RN’s Carrier Strike Group (CSG) in the Indo-Pacific. The outbreak reportedly began shortly after Queen Elizabeth made a port call to Cyprus earlier this month, and other ships in the CSG have also since reported cases of COVID-19, though the number of personnel affected on board these ships has not yet been confirmed.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has released a new circular outlining enhanced rules for crew changes in its port, making crew changes even more difficult.  While easing the home isolation requirement to 14 days from 21, on-signers now must have a negative result from a COVID-19 test (polymerase chain reaction (PCR) type) taken at a government-approved or ISO 15189-accredited testing facility at his/her originating country not more than 48 hours prior to departure for Singapore and must be certified fit-to-travel and have a negative result from an ART (Antigen Rapid Test) certified by a doctor at his/her originating country not more than 24 hours prior to departure for Singapore.

Crowley Maritime Corporation has announced it will be building and operating eWolf, the first all-electric powered harbour tugboat that can complete a job without expending a drop of fuel. The 82-foot vessel with 70 tons of bollard pull advances Crowley and the maritime industry’s efforts toward sustainability and decarbonization. Over the first 10 years of its use, the operation of the new eTug will reduce 178 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx), 2.5 tons of diesel particulate matter, and 3,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) versus a conventional tug. The electric tug will replace one that consumes more than 30,000 gallons of diesel per year. The eTug will be built by Master Boat Builders in Coden, Ala., utilizing the design and on-site construction management by Crowley Engineering Services and its recently integrated Jensen Maritime naval architecture and marine engineering group. The eTug’s battery system will be charged at a specially designed, shoreside station developed with Cochran Marine. The eTug will operate at the Port of San Diego’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal and will be operational by mid-2023.