COS Weekly Newsletter - Friday, 27 May 2022

This year, the voluntary ship slowdown area has been extended to include both the inbound and outbound shipping lanes and will be in effect from June 1 until October 31.  Check out the new infographic for more details on this slowdown area.   The voluntary slowdown through Haro Strait and Boundary Pass will not begin until southern resident killer whales are confirmed within the area.  Monitoring for that area will start on June 1st.

To celebrate the Canadian Coast Guard's 60th anniversary, it will be hosting a open house at its regional headquarters in Victoria (25 Huron Street) on Saturday, June 11 from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. There will be live rescue demonstrations, a job fair, tours, and an opportunity to learn about Search and Rescue, Marine Communications, and Spill Response. All ages welcome and people are encouraged to wear practical (closed toe) footwear.

Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, was in Washington, D.C. on May 24th to discuss common transportation priorities. He met with U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg. Transport Canada and the U.S. Department of Transportation have identified joint projects to reduce pollution from all transportation modes, such as the development of binational alternative fuel corridors and the creation of a zero-emission vehicle task force. They will also work on reducing pollution from the rail and aviation sectors, and identify green shipping corridors between our two countries. Minister Alghabra hosted a Supply Chain Roundtable with major transportation businesses and labour associations. The Co-Chairs of Canada’s Supply Chain Task Force, Jean Gattuso and Louise Yako, joined him to hear the participants’ perspectives on how to build more resilient supply chains between Canada and the U.S.

On May 25, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, and the Member of Parliament for Saint-John—Rothesay, Mr. Wayne Long, announced more than $42 million for two new projects under the National Trade Corridors Fund. These projects will help improve supply chain efficiency for Canadian shippers in Saint John and McAdam, New Brunswick. The Government of Canada will contribute $21.16 million to upgrade rail terminals in Saint John and McAdam and the New Brunswick Southern Railway, a subsidiary of J.D. Irving, Limited, will contribute the same amount, which will bring the total investment of the project to $42.32 million. The Government of Canada will also contribute up to $21 million to the Saint john  Port Authority to increase cargo laydown capacity of the West Side Terminal and to enhance the crane capabilities of the terminal to allow wheeled cargo capabilities. As the applicant, the Saint John Port Authority will contribute $4.2 million, and the Province of New Brunswick will invest $16.8 million, which represents a total investment of $42 million.

Commissioner Rebecca Dye presented her Final Report of Fact Finding 29, “International Ocean Transportation Supply Chain Engagement”, a two-year investigation she is bringing to conclusion. Commissioner Dye said she identified two major concerns of importers and exporters: the high cost of shipping cargo, and excessive demurrage and detention charges. Based on her work, Commissioner Dye concluded that, though high by historical standards, freight rates reflected market forces of supply and demand in a supply chain challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic and an unprecedented surge in consumer demand. As to detention and demurrage, Commissioner Dye highlighted the Interpretive Rule of the Commission and how it is being enforced to address unreasonable detention and demurrage practices. To help address these, and other identified issues, Commissioner Dye unveiled 12 new recommendations for the Commission to consider next week. This is the second set of recommendations developed from Fact Finding 29 Commissioner Dye has presented to the Commission. In July 2021, she issued eight Interim Recommendations that the Commission voted to accept and has implemented all that did not require legislative action.

The Port of Virginia will be fulfilling all of its operational electricity needs from clean-energy resources by 2024 and in doing so, moves forward with its goal of becoming completely carbon-neutral by 2040. The port is already sourcing some of its electricity for its on-terminal cargo operations from renewable sources and a power purchase agreement approved May 9 by the Virginia Port Authority Board of Commissioners expands access to clean energy. The agreement allows the Virginia Department of Energy to allocate an additional 10 percent of the energy from 345 megawatts of solar projects being completed by Dominion Energy along with the port’s proportionate share of the original contract. This allocation, along with other solar, nuclear and wind resources provided by Dominion Energy will support the port’s current load of 130,000 megawatt-hours of electricity each year, on average, and allow the port to maintain 100 percent clean energy sourcing as its load grows. The port is already using electric equipment in its cargo operation and that trend will continue as part of the larger effort to reach carbon neutrality by 2040. The port’s original goal for sourcing all of its electricity from clean sources was 2032.

DP World announced the creation of DPMETAWORLD, a new initiative aimed at bringing cutting edge virtual solutions to real-world supply chain challenges. Across the industries in which DP World operates, supply chains are moving from analogue to embrace new digital solutions. This project will allow DP World to lead the acceleration of this trend through the untapped capabilities of the metaverse, helping drive efficiency and transparency. The platform is expected to launch by the end of 2022 and DP World is actively talking to best-in-class technology partners to help develop the platform and help bring our innovative solutions to life. DP World will explore metaverse applications for its services, including simulations of warehousing and terminal operations, in so-called digital twins -- 3D virtual versions of physical assets -- as well as container and vessel inspections. Other customer-focused applications include enhanced retail market access, with the potential to extend DP World’s 1600+ showrooms at the Dubai Traders Market to an unlimited number of customers through an immersive shopping experience.

According to local officials, Shanghai Port is now operating at 95 % of the normal level as COVID-19 lockdowns ease. Notwithstanding, the improvement in the port hasn’t been accompanied by a rebound in trucking, as a shortage of drivers and vehicles continues to hamper the delivery of goods to and from the port. As local lockdowns are lifted, the impact on production is likely to be felt for months, with a strong demand for raw materials and then a surge of finished goods bound for North American markets. The expected flood of imports into North America will likely lead to additional supply chain pressures in Canada and the United States through the summer months.

IMO: 9874612
Name: ATLANTIC TIGER
Vessel Type - Generic: Cargo
Vessel Type - Detailed: Bulk Carrier
Flag: Marshall Is [MH]
Gross Tonnage: 109731
Summer DWT: 209338 t
Length Overall x Breadth Extreme: 299.88 x 50 m
Year Built: 2020