New Mega Crane arrives for Halifax container terminal

PSA Halifax, which operates the south-end container terminal, has received delivery of a new Super-Post Panamax (SPPX) ship-to-shore container gantry crane. The new crane will be able to span across 24 containers on a vessel. Halifax is currently the only container terminal in Eastern Canada that can handle the ultra-class vessels. The Halifax Port Authority has also been working on extending the south end terminal, so it has the capacity to accommodate two ultra-class ships at a time with its five SPPX cranes at PSA Halifax.

Longshore workers take strike action at two Montreal terminals

Montreal longshore workers and employers have agreed to resume negotiations on Friday, after port workers began a 40-hour strike at two marine terminals on Thursday afternoon.  The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 375 issued a 72-hour strike notice and targeted two specific terminals both operated by Montreal Gateway Terminals (MGT) Partnership.  The strike is in response to on-going negotiations regarding the renewal of the workers’ collective agreement with the Maritime Employers Association that expired December 31, 2018.  All other terminals at the Port of Montreal have remained operational.

Cenovus ships oil to Irving Oil’s East Coast refinery via West Coast pipeline

Cenovus is sending their first-ever shipment of crude to Irving Oil’s refinery on the East Coast via the West Coast pipeline. They used existing capacity on the Trans Mountain pipeline to ship oil to Burnaby, B.C. where it was loaded on an Irving Oil-chartered tanker for the month-long voyage down the West Coast, through the Panama Canal and up to New Brunswick.

G3 opens two elevators in Alberta

G3 Ltd. has opened two new elevators in Alberta: G3 Morinville and G3 Carmangay. The new elevators feature the same high-efficiency infrastructure as its other new elevators in Western Canada, including the ability to unload trucks in minutes. The elevators also can handle trains of up to 150 cars by quickly loading them on loop tracks, keeping grain moving to port. The new facilities ship grain for export via the new G3 Terminal in Vancouver.

ECHO Program voluntary slowdown in Haro Strait and Boundary Pass now in effect

Southern resident killer whales were observed on July 1 near San Juan Island, within the slowdown area. The return of these endangered whales to the Salish Sea signals the start of the ECHO Program’s voluntary slowdown in Haro Strait and Boundary Pass for 2020, effective Wednesday, July 1. Upon your next transit through the slowdown area, please slow to the following speed through the water targets:

• 14.5 knots or less through the water for vehicle carriers, cruise ships and container vessels
• 11.5 knots or less through the water for bulkers, tankers, ferries and government vessels

The goal is for more than 85% of ships to participate in this year’s slowdown in an effort to reduce underwater noise for southern resident killer whales. The voluntary slowdown will end on October 1, 2020, unless the southern resident killer whales have not yet left the area. If they are still present in the area, the slowdown may continue until October 31.

Transport Canada relaxes shore leave restrictions

While visiting crew members are still limited to four hours of shore leave, the door has been opened to controlled shore leave for all asymptomatic crew members.  Crew can visit a local seafarer centre, local stores and health support services provided transportation in provided to and from the vessel as noted in Ship Safety Bulletin 18/2020 Mobility of Asymptomatic Workers in the Marine Sector During COVID-19.  Crew members are required to adhere to local COVID-19 protocols.

Government of Canada and Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs to change name of Canadian Coast Guard ship

The Ministry of Fisheries, Oceans and the Coast Guard is partnering with the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs to recommend a new name for the Canadian Coast Guard ship (CCGS) Edward Cornwallis. The partnership comes after the Mi’kmaq and many other citizens of Nova Scotia have raised concerns about the namesake over his treatment of the Mi’kmaq people. In 1749, Edward Cornwallis sought to drive the Mi’kmaq from their lands on peninsular Nova Scotia through barbaric measures including a bounty against the Mi’kmaq men, women, and children. The Minister will announce the new name of the vessel before it leaves the Shelburne Shipyard later this year.

Supreme Court rejects Indigenous challenge to Trans Mountain pipeline approval

The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear a new appeal from British Columbia First Nations over the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. The court has dismissed the appeal from the Squamish Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, the Ts’elxweyeqw Tribes and Coldwater Indian Band, ending the years-long legal battle over the project. The Trans Mountain project was first approved in 2016, but stopped by the Federal Court of Appeal two years later after First Nations and environmental groups successfully argued the approval process was flawed. Ottawa approved the project a second time in June 2019 after additional consultation with the affected communities. The bands still felt the government did not fulfill its duty to consult and again appealed the decision.

Government of Canada signs deal with a Vancouver Island First Nation for new marine response centre

The Pacheedaht First Nation has signed a deal with the Government of Canada to build a new multipurpose marine facility as part of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. The Canadian Coast Guard has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pacheedaht First Nation to construct the new marine search and rescue and environmental response centre in Port Renfrew. The centre is planned as part of the federal government's Co-Developing Community Response initiative with Indigenous groups to manage natural resource projects like the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. The new centre will also strengthen marine safety in the Juan de Fuca Strait.

Chesapeake Energy declares bankruptcy

Chesapeake Energy Corp. filed for bankruptcy, becoming one of the biggest victims of a spectacular collapse in energy demand due to COVID-19.  The Oklahoma City-based company filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Texas on Sunday, listing assets and liabilities in the range of $10 billion and $50 billion, and more than 100,000 creditors.  The company also entered into an agreement to eliminate about $7 billion in debt and secure $925 million in debtor-in-possession financing.

US Coast Guard fines vessel that failed to provide Notice of Arrival

Coast Guard Sector Juneau issued a Notice of Violation to a foreign-flagged vessel that arrived in Auke Bay, Juneau on June 18 for not submitting a Notice of Arrival (NOA). A vessel that fails to comply with the Notice of Arrival regulations may be subject to denial of entry to the United States, expulsion from US waters, and/or a civil penalty of up to $34,871.00. Furthermore, knowing and willful noncompliance with these regulations may constitute a Class D felony.

Philippines opens ‘Green Lane’ for seafarers and crew changes

The world’s largest supplier of crew to the international shipping industry – the Philippines – has opened a “Green Lane” for seafarers to allow for free movement and crew change. In a move that should ease the crew of many thousands of Filipino seafarers stranded at sea the Philippine Green Lane Joint Circular was signed on Tuesday, led by Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. The joint circular takes effect July 2nd and will allow for the safe travel of seafarers subject to health protocols from the Philippines government. According to government data, over 400,000 Filipino sailors serve on bulk carriers, container ships, oil, gas, chemical and other product tankers, general cargo ships, pure car carriers, cruise ships and tugboats around the world.

ICS Encourages Ships to sound horns to draw attention to crew change issue

As challenges with crew changes continue, IMO is imploring that governments take action to help get seafarers home and enable relief crews to join ships during the current travel restrictions. The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) s requesting that all ships in port sound their horns at 12:00 local time on Wednesday, 8 July, as a way to highlight the crew change issue currently being faced across the world. The action seeks to remind governments not to forget the crew change issue ahead of a ministerial summit meeting on the subject.

Ocean Voyage Institute collects over 100 tons of plastics in largest-ever open ocean cleanup

Ocean Voyages Institute’s marine plastic recovery vessel, S/V Kwai, has returned from a 48-day expedition where it successfully removed 103 tons of fishing nets and consumer plastics from the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone, more commonly known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch or Gyre. The expedition has set a new record for the largest at sea cleanup in the Gyre to date, more than doubling its own results from last year.

American Bureau of Shipping calls for more training of seafarers to cope with changing digital technologies

With the pace of digitization in shipping speeding up, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has called out a number of issues that need to be addressed. Specifically, the impact of digitalization on seafarers. They are urging companies to embrace digital technologies to drive safety and efficiency, which also has the potential to deliver significant improvements in the quality of life at sea and careers opportunities for shipboard crews.