Antwerp, Belgium, headquartered gas carrier operator Exmar is partnering with Canadian fertilizer producer Nutrien to deploy an ammonia-fueled vessel by as early as 2025. The vessel would be fueled by low-carbon ammonia produced at Nutrien’s Geismar, La., facility that employs carbon capture and sequestration technology to reduce the carbon intensity of the ammonia it produces. The...Read More
Recommendations to address ongoing port and supply chain congestion was address at a recent of a Federal Maritime Commission meeting. Commissioner Rebecca F. Dye provided the Commission with a set of eight Interim Recommendations aimed at minimizing barriers to private party enforcement of the Shipping Act, clarifying Commission and industry processes, encouraging shippers, truckers, and...Read More
South Africa’s state-owned logistics firm said Tuesday it was working to restore systems following a major cyber-attack last week that hit the country’s key port terminals. The company declared a force majeure after an attack that started on July 22nd forced Transnet to switch to manual systems. The attack has affected ports in Durban —...Read More
On Wednesday, August 4, all vaccination clinics are offering Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to those eligible for their first or second doses without an appointment. Walk-ins generally should have a personal health number (PHN), but those without a PHN, including international seafarers, will be given a number. Most mass vaccination clinics are set to wind...Read More
The CN and CP rail lines from Kamloops to Vancouver are currently operating under Ministerial Order (MO) 21-06 requirements, which include targeted speed restrictions, increased equipment inspections, and fire prevention measures. Temperatures in the high 30s across southern BC remain throughout the weekend, keeping the risk of wildfires high. The evolving fire situation may result...Read More
A US Navy sailor was charged with starting a fire last year that burned for four days on the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard, injuring more than 60 people and destroying the vessel. The Navy did not say if the sailor was accused of intentionally setting the blaze, which broke out July 12, 2020,...Read More
The Florida Department of Transportation on Thursday announced how it will divvy up $250 million that state lawmakers set aside this spring for ports out of money Florida is receiving from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The largest chunks will go to Port Canaveral, $72.2 million; PortMiami, $66.9 million; and Port Everglades, $58.26 million. Last...Read More
About 900 Rio Tinto Plc workers represented by Unifor Local 2301 went on strike at 12:01 am on July 25th at its t smelter in Kitimat and power operations in Kemano following expiry of the collective agreement. According to a news bulletin released by Unifor Local 2301, it is the first 100 per sent strike...Read More
Earlier this week it was announced that 9,000 Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) workers gave the Public Service Alliance of Canada and its Customs and Immigration Union (PSAC-CIU) a strike mandate that could see action as early as August 6th, just days before Canada opens its land border to vaccinated travellers. Yesterday, PSAC-CIU resumed negotiations...Read More
Westshore Terminals Limited Partnership has executed an agreement with BHP Canada Inc., a subsidiary of BHP Group, to provide port services to BHP’s proposed Jansen Potash Mine in Saskatchewan. The agreement is conditional on BHP making a final investment decision on Stage 1 of the Jansen Project. If the Jansen Project does proceed, the agreement...Read More
Seaspan is looking to build additional ship maintenance and repair capacity on the North Vancouver waterfront, immediately west of their dry dock operations. An application has been submitted to the Port of Vancouver to install a floating work pontoon and two additional dry docks on the west side of the existing deep-water outfitting pier. The...Read More
After being delayed for nearly a year, TransLink’s new SeaBus took its maiden voyage across the Burrard Inlet in the Port of Vancouver on Thursday. The Burrard Chinook is the first SeaBus to also serve as an art installation. The vessel is decked in art from the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations and pays...Read More
On July 19th, Royal Caribbean International’s Serenade of the Seas sailed its first revenue cruise from the Port of Seattle for Alaska. This is the first revenue cruise for Alaska since September 2019 follow a test sailing conducted earlier in the month with volunteers. While the Serenade of the Seas will not clear the 95%...Read More
The US Surface Transportation Board (STB) has sent letters to 7 railways to gather information on policies and practices relating to demurrage and detention charges. US regulators are stepping up their monitoring after the Biden administration on July 9 issued an executive order targeting container shipping and railroads, though the latter was centered around giving...Read More
The Nisga’a Nation is partnering with a group of Western Canadian natural gas producers called Rockies LNG Partners and a Texas-based energy company called Western LNG to develop a new liquified natural gas (LNG) export facility. The project, called Ksi Lisims LNG, would include a pipeline to transport natural gas from the northeast corner of...Read More
The Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, has announced a $976.8M investment through Budget 2021 to continue Canada’s marine conservation efforts to attain the goal of protecting 25 per cent of Canada’s oceans by 2025, and working toward 30 per cent by 2030. Canada exceeded its 20 per cent...Read More
To facilitate implementation of its just-in-time (JIT) port call standards, the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) released interface standards and messaging API (application programming interface) specifications for the first 18 event timestamps defined in its JIT port call data definitions. The interface standards enable automated data exchange between carriers, ports and terminals for the five main...Read More
As container rates and associated supply chain chaos escalate, two related trends are galvanizing the breakbulk sector: shippers and their forwarders are booking more and more laden containers on multipurpose vessel/heavy-lift ships, and many are testing out cargoes in the breakbulk mode. Breakbulk operators are keenly aware that spillover effects from the tumultuous container market...Read More
Transport Canada is hosting live engagement sessions to discuss the feasibility of adjusting the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in an effort to mitigate impact to the Southern Resident killer whales in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Swiftsure Bank, Haro Strait and Boundary Pass, and the Salish Sea near the mouth of the Fraser River....Read More
The Canada Border Services Agency has released a new Traveller Contact Information Form for all persons entering into Canada. The new form includes questions on whether individuals are vaccinated. The ArriveCan app has been updated with the same questions.Read More
52 organizations sent a letter to Governor Newsom, Lt. Governor Kounalakis, and the Legislature requesting action to reverse the decline in West Coast ports’ market share before California permanently loses jobs and direly needed state revenue. The sector that supports 1 in 3 jobs in California and 1.6 million trade-related jobs in Southern California, has...Read More
Six communities within Inuit Nunangat will received a total of $1.5M in funding under the Indigenous Community Boat Volunteer Pilot Program. With the new equipment and training from the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, members are better equipped and prepared to respond to marine incidents, helping to enhance the safety of their communities and the surrounding...Read More
The City of Nanaimo has reappointed Dr. Michelle Corfield as the municipal representative on the Board of the Port of Nanaimo for a three year term. To date, Past Chair Michelle Corfield has served six years on the Port of Nanaimo Board of Directors holding various positions and is currently the Chair of the Human...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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....Read More
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...Read More
The Naval Association of Canada has granted the Maritime Museum of BC $5,000 to support the purchase of museum-quality artefact storage supplies that will ensure the preservation of the naval ships badges and naval uniform collections. Most of the ships badges in the Museum’s collection relate to Royal Canadian Naval ships of the Second World...Read More
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...Read More
The Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announced that, as of November 1, 2021, the prohibition of cruise ships in Canadian waters would no longer be in effect if operators are able to fully comply with public health requirements. As the outlook of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to improve, Canada looks forward to having a...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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....Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
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)...Read More
