The federal government is investing more than $11 million in ten businesses and organizations across Northern B.C. to support jobs, productivity, trade diversification and supply-chain resilience amid ongoing global trade disruptions. Through PacifiCan, funding includes $450,000 for Prince George-based Open Waters Solar to expand and automate manufacturing, and $672,134 for Indigenous-led Portland Canal Terminals to...Read More
The B.C. Marine Terminal Operators Association (BCMTOA) has appointed Alicia Peters as its new President, succeeding Stephanie Jones. Peters brings more than 15 years of experience in government relations, strategic operations and regulated sectors, including previous work with Canada’s Minister of International Trade and senior regulatory and policy roles in B.C.’s financial sector. She will...Read More
Western Potash has entered court-supervised insolvency proceedings after defaulting on more than US$108 million owed to senior lender Appian Capital Advisory, putting its Milestone potash project near Regina up for sale. Despite more than US$240 million invested, the project, designed to produce 146,000 tonnes of potash annually over an estimated 40-year mine life, has never...Read More
Seaspan Marine has agreed to sell its petroleum products barging business to Enercor Energy, an affiliate of Evernorth Marine Group, as it focuses more closely on its core towing, marine transportation and ship-assist operations. The transaction includes existing customer contracts and five vessels, four oil barges and the Seaspan Raider tugboat, and is expected to...Read More
Construction has begun on the first phase of B.C. Hydro’s North Coast Transmission Line expansion, a major infrastructure project that will more than double electricity transmission capacity between Prince George, Terrace and northwest B.C. The additional power is intended to support major industrial developments, including LNG export facilities and mining projects identified as being in...Read More
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has introduced the American Mariner Tax Fairness Act, which would extend the federal foreign earned income exclusion to qualifying U.S. merchant mariners working aboard U.S.-flag vessels in international trade. Mariners spending at least 90 days during 12 months aboard eligible vessels could exclude income earned during qualifying periods at...Read More
Maersk has selected British wind-propulsion specialist Anemoi Marine Technologies to install a Rotor Sail on an 8,700 TEU Maersk Lima-class containership, marking the first application of Anemoi’s technology on a container vessel. The 35-metre-high, five-metre-diameter fixed Rotor Sail will use wind-generated aerodynamic lift to provide additional propulsion, potentially reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Installation is...Read More
Trans Mountain has filed an application with the Canada Energy Regulator for a $4-billion optimization project that would add 210,000 barrels per day of capacity to its Edmonton-to-Burnaby pipeline system, potentially bringing the additional capacity online by the end of 2028. The proposal includes new pumping stations and about 30 kilometres of pipeline within the...Read More
The Port of Churchill is handling its first grain export since 2020, with approximately 30,000 tonnes of Saskatchewan durum wheat supplied by AGT Foods being shipped to customers in Europe. The shipment marks a significant milestone in efforts to revitalize the Indigenous- and community-owned port and Hudson Bay Railway as an alternative Canadian trade corridor...Read More
Worsening global port congestion is temporarily supporting the container shipping market by effectively removing around 2.3 million TEU, or 6.6% of the global containership fleet, from available capacity, three times the pre-pandemic level. Schedule reliability fell sharply to 56.4% in July, with Asian ports particularly affected by congestion and typhoons, including Shanghai where reliability dropped...Read More
More than $1 billion in Canadian agricultural exports to the European Union could be at risk under proposed EU rules that would effectively eliminate allowable residue levels for 18 pesticides already banned within the bloc. Canada exports about US$1.4 billion annually of the affected commodities to the EU, with lentils among the products potentially most...Read More
Sept 2 @ 10:00 (PT) – WESTAC, in partnership with the Chamber of Shipping of BC, are pleased to host the second webinar in our Summer Series, focused on human resource issues affecting Canada’s marine transportation sector. Featuring Paul Hilder of the Council of Marine Carriers (CMC) and Julia Fields of the Canadian Marine Careers...Read More
The Vancouver Maritime Museum is running a 50/50 raffle to support the future of St. Roch. Half the proceeds go to the lucky winner, and the other half supports the St. Roch Revitalization Project, helping improve accessibility, share newly uncovered stories, and create more engaging ways for visitors to experience this remarkable vessel. Enter for...Read More
The US Maritime Administration (MARAD) and Core Power have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to accelerate the development and deployment of US-flagged commercial vessels powered by small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). The partnership will establish pathways covering regulatory approval, port operations, mariner credentialing, nuclear fuel and lifecycle services, insurance and financing. It is MARAD’s third...Read More
HMCS Robert Hampton Gray, Canada’s newest Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship, is making a historic voyage from Halifax through the Northwest Passage to its new home with the Pacific Fleet in Esquimalt, BC. The journey will mark only the third complete Arctic transit by a Royal Canadian Navy warship and the first undertaken specifically to...Read More
The new CANXPORT facility has officially opened at the Port of Prince Rupert, expanding Canada’s capacity to move exports through its Pacific trade gateway. Supported by nearly $50 million from the federal National Trade Corridors Fund, the Ridley Island facility includes expanded road and rail infrastructure and is designed to handle at least 400,000 containers...Read More
A new Economic Impact of West Coast Ports Study highlights the vital role Canada’s West Coast ports play in supporting trade, jobs, and economic growth across the country. The study comes at a time when Canada is seeking to diversify trade and expand exports to markets beyond the United States. As Canada’s primary gateway to the...Read More
Baltic grain exporters are experiencing a sharp increase in demand as attacks on shipping and port infrastructure disrupt Russian and Ukrainian wheat exports and force traditional Black Sea buyers to seek alternative supplies. Around one million tonnes of wheat have been booked for August loading in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, up roughly 50% from a...Read More
The U.S. Coast Guard is offering eligible merchant mariners a temporary 120-day authorization to continue sailing on expired national endorsements while the National Maritime Center processes delayed renewal applications. The targeted measure applies to certain credentials that expired between January 1 and July 31, 2026, where renewal applications were submitted before expiry but remain incomplete...Read More
China’s vehicle export boom is increasingly spilling beyond traditional car carriers and into the container shipping sector as demand outpaces available Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) capacity. A recent COSCO Shipping operation moved 13,052 Chery vehicles from Taicang Port, China, to Vado, Italy, using containers and multipurpose vessel capacity, with each shipment carrying more...Read More
The federal government has awarded an $11.3-billion contract to Quebec’s Chantier Davie shipyard to build six new Polar Class 3 icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard, described as the largest shipbuilding contract in Quebec’s history. Construction is expected to begin with the first steel cut in fall 2027, with the first vessel delivered five years...Read More
The federal government is investing $53 million in three new salmon hatcheries in British Columbia that could raise and release up to one million additional juvenile salmon annually into the Fraser and Skeena watersheds. The facilities in Prince George, Gitanyow and Tŝilhqot’in territory will be developed in partnership with First Nations and will support Chinook...Read More
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has completed a series of road and rail upgrades in Surrey’s Fraser Surrey Port Lands that are expected to improve cargo movement, cut inbound container truck transit times by 50%, and reduce port-related greenhouse gas emissions. The project included a new dedicated truck lane to the DP World Fraser Surrey...Read More
US President Donald Trump has acknowledged that the United States remains heavily dependent on Canadian aluminum amid an ongoing trade dispute between the two countries. Trump said the US urgently needs additional aluminum supplies, noting that Canada currently provides more than half of American consumption. His comments come as a 50% US tariff on metals...Read More
Metro Vancouver’s ongoing labour dispute with the Greater Vancouver Regional District Employees’ Union could delay the planned September dredging of Burrard Inlet, a project intended to deepen the waterway beneath the Second Narrows Ironworkers Memorial Bridge to accommodate larger oil tankers. Unionized outside workers have established picket lines at two critical water main projects in...Read More
Quorum Corporation has reported that Western Canada’s grain export sector closed the 2025-26 crop year on a strong note, with year-to-date shipments from western port terminals reaching 45.1 million tonnes, up 8% from the previous year and 8% above the three-year average. Growth was led by the West Coast gateways, where shipments through Vancouver increased...Read More
Canada’s largest and most powerful icebreaker, CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, reached the North Pole on August 16 during its 2026 Arctic deployment, marking a significant milestone in Canada’s northern operations. The vessel is supporting efforts to map and define the country’s continental shelf under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea by...Read More
The US Army Corps of Engineers has issued the federal permit authorizing construction of the Louisiana International Terminal (LIT), a major deepwater container port development on the Lower Mississippi River that Port NOLA describes as the only new greenfield container port currently under development in the United States. Designed to accommodate the largest container vessels...Read More
Earlier this week a 24-hour strike disrupted operations at six major German ports, including Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven, Emden, Bremen, and Brake, as wage negotiations between port workers and employers remain deadlocked. The industrial action, involving approximately 11,000 workers represented by the Ver.di union, has impacted container terminals, cargo handling, and truck and rail movements, adding...Read More
Domtar has announced the indefinite idling of operations at its Howe Sound Pulp and Paper mill in Port Mellon and the associated Bayview Fibre chipping facility, a move that will affect approximately 400 employees and mark the end of more than a century of pulp production on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast. The company cited reduced...Read More
The Government of Canada has announced what it describes as the largest clean energy investment in North American history, with nearly $70 billion in combined projects to expand hydroelectric generation and transmission infrastructure in Labrador. The initiative includes up to $10 billion in federal financial support, upgrades to the Churchill Falls generating station, development of...Read More
The Port of Montreal Contrecœur Expansion Project has reached a significant milestone with the start of in-water construction work, marking the transition from site preparation to development of the future container terminal. The work includes construction of a working jetty, terminal wharf, and related marine infrastructure, with dredging scheduled to begin in 2027. Once completed,...Read More
European countries are facing a growing challenge to refill natural gas storage ahead of winter as LNG cargoes are increasingly being diverted to Asia, where buyers are offering higher prices. According to energy market intelligence firm Montel, the EU’s goal of reaching 90% gas storage by November is now likely unattainable due to disruptions in...Read More
The Panama Canal announced yesterday via an Advisory to Shipping, temporary modifications to the locks’ transit capacity including adjustments to its daily auctions, amid reduced precipitation in the canal watershed. Severe drought conditions linked to the El Niño weather pattern are forcing the Panama Canal Authority to reduce vessel transits beginning in September, raising concerns...Read More
Dutch cargo vessel MV Thamesborg has successfully completed a transit of Canada’s Northwest Passage nearly a year after running aground on an uncharted shoal along the route last year. The 172-meter (564-foot) Wagenborg vessel left Matane, Quebec, on Aug. 8 and is scheduled to arrive in Onsan, South Korea, on Sept. 3, according to AIS...Read More
Venezuela’s efforts to increase crude oil exports are being constrained by aging port infrastructure, with tankers waiting up to 30 days to load cargoes due to equipment failures, power outages, limited storage capacity and operational inefficiencies at key export terminals. Despite rising oil production and strong global demand, exports have struggled to exceed 1.25 million...Read More
Escalating security concerns in the Gulf region are reshaping container shipping services between the Far East, Indian Subcontinent, Middle East, and Red Sea. According to Alphaliner, deployed capacity on the trade lane fell by more than 14% year-over-year in July 2026, a reduction of approximately 312,000 TEU, as carriers adjusted operations in response to risks...Read More
Container ship congestion at the Panama Canal is intensifying, with the Seaspan Benefactor reportedly paying up to US$4 million to secure a priority transit slot and avoid lengthy delays. Growing traffic, ongoing disruptions to alternative trade routes, and water-conservation measures that have reduced vessel draft limits have pushed wait times for non-reserved vessels to up to 10 days,...Read More
Low water levels on the Rhine River are once again disrupting one of Europe’s most important inland freight corridors, forcing barges to operate with reduced cargo loads and increasing transportation costs for shippers. Beyond impacts on inland navigation, industry stakeholders are warning that prolonged low water conditions could create congestion at the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp as...Read More
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted nearly six months into the US-Iran conflict, with vessel movements still well below normal levels despite efforts to maintain commercial navigation. While some traffic continues to transit the waterway, volumes remain a fraction of pre-conflict levels as security concerns, elevated insurance costs, and ongoing military tensions deter ship operators. Recent drone and missile attacks...Read More
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), along with many industry groups, strongly condemns the recent Houthi attack on the cargo vessel Tihamah in the Red Sea, which claimed the lives of six people, including four crew members and two rescuers. The vessel, reported to be carrying food, was struck by missiles while transiting the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait, triggering a fire...Read More
Transport Canada has issued Ship Safety Bulletin 11/2026, updating reporting requirements for the Canadian Carbon Intensity Indicator (CCII), a measure of a vessel’s greenhouse gas emissions efficiency. The bulletin applies to Canadian vessels of 5,000 gross tonnes and above operating primarily in Canadian waters and outlines annual fuel consumption and carbon intensity reporting obligations. Ship operators must submit verified data...Read More
The Government of Canada has awarded a $768.6 million construction contract to PCL Construction Canada Inc. for the Regulatory and Security Science Main (RSS Main) project in Ottawa, a key component of the $3.8 billion Laboratories Canada initiative to modernize federal science infrastructure. The new campus will bring together scientists and researchers from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Canada...Read More
The Government of Canada has announced more than $30.5 million in funding for 24 British Columbia businesses and organizations through PacifiCan’s Regional Tariff Response Initiative, aimed at helping companies respond to global trade disruptions, strengthen supply chains, increase productivity, and expand into new domestic and international markets. Major investments include $5.5 million for Nanaimo Forest Products to increase pulp...Read More
The Trump administration has extended its temporary Jones Act waiver for another 90 days, allowing foreign-flagged vessels to continue transporting oil and certain other commodities between US ports amid ongoing energy market disruptions, while introducing a stricter case-by-case review process for individual voyages. At the same time, the US Internal Revenue Service has ruled that foreign shipping companies operating under the waiver cannot...Read More
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has established a dedicated subsidiary, the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Management Corporation, to oversee the delivery of the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project in Delta. This month the project was referred to the federal Major Projects Office, selected a preferred construction partner for the landmass and wharf and launched its community investment program. Cheryl Nelms, a veteran...Read More
Corvus Energy has been awarded a contract to supply battery energy storage systems (ESS) for BC Ferries’ four new hybrid-electric Summit Class ferries, marking a significant milestone in the operator’s fleet renewal and decarbonization strategy. The Vancouver-developed technology will provide 40 MWh of installed battery capacity, with 10 MWh per vessel, making the ships among...Read More
Canada’s two largest railways achieved record grain volumes during the 2025-26 crop year, highlighting the critical role rail transportation plays in moving western Canadian agricultural exports to global markets. Canadian National Railway (CN) moved more than 33.8 million tonnes of grain, surpassing its previous record of 31.2 million tonnes set in 2024-25, while Canadian Pacific Kansas City...Read More
The Ksi Lisims LNG project has taken another step toward a final investment decision (FID) with the award of major pipeline construction contracts for the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project. The Nisga’a Nation and Western LNG have selected the Surerus Murphy Joint Venture to construct the first 193-kilometre segment of the pipeline between Chetwynd and Mackenzie, while Allseas has been...Read More
George Arthur Adams, a respected leader in British Columbia’s maritime and transportation sectors, passed away last August 4th. A Master Mariner by training, George built a distinguished career spanning more than four decades, beginning at sea with Shell Tankers and Furness Withy before moving into senior leadership roles with Canadian Transport Company Ltd. and MacMillan Bloedel...Read More
