COS Weekly Newsletter - Friday, 22 October 2021

The Ocean Cleanup, the non-profit developing and scaling technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, announced proof of technology upon returning to Victoria Harbour with trash collected from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. From nine test extractions, the organization collected a total of 28,659 kilograms (63,182 pounds) of plastic from the ocean, of which 9,014 kilograms (or 19,872 pounds) was removed in a single haul. With this confirmation from testing, the organization will immediately return to the infamous gyre to start cleaning the ocean’s largest accumulation of plastic debris. Eight years after its founding and three years since launching its first cleanup system, the organization has effectively harvested plastic with a scalable ocean cleanup design. The Ocean Cleanup has ended its testing campaigns in the gyre, shifting its focus to cleanup; while, simultaneously, initiating the development of the larger, upgraded System 003, which is expected to be the blueprint design for scaling to a fleet of systems.  The organization expects to deploy a fleet of ten systems capable of reducing 50% of the gyre every five years. Meanwhile, its efforts to stop plastic from entering the ocean via rivers will continue with new Interceptor projects planned to begin this year and next.

Canadian National Railway President and Chief Executive Officer Jean-Jacques Ruest has laid the groundwork for his retirement from the company. In a release Tuesday afternoon, the railway said Ruest will step down from his executive duties and his role as a board director at the end of January, or at a later time to ensure a “flawless transition” with his successor. The Board has established a CEO search committee although TCI Fund Management Ltd., one of CN’s top shareholders has identified former CN Rail executive, Jim Vena as a potential successor.

The owner and operator of Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions was found guilty of violations under both the Species At Risk and Federal Fisheries Acts by the Provincial Court. The judge fined the operator $5,000 for each violation, for a total of $10,000. The sentence stems from an incident on May 27, 2019, when the operator was observed by two other whale watching guides illegally approaching a killer whale within 35 metres near Willow Point. There were six to seven commercial whale watching vessels in the area of the incident who subsequently provided witness statements, as did several of the tourists who were on board. These witnesses also provided significant amounts of photos and video statements. The fines will be used for the conservation and protection of marine mammals in the waters off British Columbia.

An executive order signed by California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom, aims to take pressure off the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach by directing state agencies to look for additional container storage space. The executive order also seeks to identify additional truck routes that would be exempt from the state’s gross vehicle weight limits. It's not clear how much that would help, given truckers have been frustrated with chassis scarcity and what they say are restrictive appointment requirements and poor service from terminals, rather than weight restrictions. Along with the short-term measures, Newsom said the state’s finance department will look to identify items for California’s next budget to address funding for port infrastructure, clean truck efforts, and workforce training.

In response to a lawsuit filed by Wild Fish Conservancy, U.S. Magistrate Judge Michelle Peterson issued a report and recommendation finding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is in violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by relying on undeveloped and uncertain future mitigation to authorize commercial salmon harvest at levels that NOAA admits are pushing federally-protected Southern Resident orcas and wild Chinook closer to extinction.  This groundbreaking new ruling from the federal court in Seattle may lead to increased available prey for starving Southern Resident killer whales and allow protected Chinook populations to rebuild in rivers throughout the coast.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is doubling down on its efforts to expedite the cargo clearance process in order to increase freight velocity at congested ports across the country. Those efforts include more precise targeting of risky shipments in order to free up staff to expedite the clearance of legal cargo, stepped-up training of inspectors and trade specialists, and coordinating its cargo clearance processes with those of partner government agencies to help reduce port congestion. CBP is considering expanding its hours of operation to utilize so-called Vacis systems — large-scale, low-dose X-ray machines — to inspect containers for illegal narcotics. CBP is also considering requests from importers and customs brokers to open additional central examination stations (CES) for the full devanning of containers.

Nine large shippers have joined the Aspen Institute’s initiative to drive maritime decarbonization with ambitious targets. The companies that have joined include Michelin, Amazon, Ikea, Unilever, clothing company Patagonia and Inditex, which includes a number of brands such as Zara, and they have pledged to collaborate to transition all their ocean freight to zero-carbon vessels by 2040.

DP World has announced the launch of its new digital logistics platform, CARGOES Logistics. With CARGOES Logistics, customers can choose from multimodal logistics options, ship freight by sea, road, and/or rail, get instant quotes, swift booking confirmation and multiple secure payment options in three simple steps. The first phase of launch will immediately offer customers access to book cargo from UAE to India as well as India to multiple destinations across the Middle East, Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the Far East and North Africa. CARGOES Logistics aims to address complexities and inefficiencies that exist in global supply chains including multiple handovers, inefficient tracking and limited visibility of a shipment across the supply chain. The new digital platform will enhance transparency by providing deep tracking of cargo with real time insights, end to end visibility & predictability, an all-inclusive price with no hidden charges and highly efficient end to end digital experience backed by DP World’s extensive network of integrated logistics assets and best-in-class service levels.

The Maersk Tender is one of two offshore tug/supply ships involved in the Ocean Cleanup project aimed at reducing the size of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Besides Maersk Supply Service’s support with vessel operations and offshore project management, Maersk is supporting The Ocean Cleanup with logistics end-to-end handling services, ranging from worldwide shipment from different locations to airfreight, container and special transport, customs clearance, and warehouse and storage management.

Together the Maersk Tender and ­Maersk Trader ships carry 45 crew to the large stretch of the north Pacific where debris has accumulated.  The vessels slowly tow the new 800-metres long and three-metre-deep skirt underwater to catch plastic below the surface. Dubbed Jenny, the plastic-extraction system was created to concentrate floating plastics and hold them for loading onto vessels.