The union representing dockworkers at the Port of Montreal announced that an unlimited strike will begin Monday. The union stated that the notice was made necessary after the maritime companies at the port this week announced changes to workplace conditions. Dock workers have already walked off the job twice for four-day periods. Since last Monday, ships destined for Montreal have been re-routed to ports in Halifax, New York and Saint John, New Brunswick. Negotiations at the port have been stalled principally over the issue of work schedules. The contract expired at the end of 2018.

The voluntary slowdown in Haro Strait and Boundary Pass hit 95 per cent participation in its fifth week, bringing the overall cumulative participation rate to 91 per cent. Specifically, in week 5, 109 out of 115 ships slowing down to the recommended speeds through Haro Strait and Boundary Pass in an effort to reduce the impacts of underwater noise on southern resident killer whales. For weeks 7 and 8 of the inshore lateral displacement in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 88 per cent of tugboats participated by spending more than half of their time in either the inshore lateral displacement zone or the outbound shipping lane. The cumulative participation rate since the lateral displacement began on June 1 is currently at 74 per cent.

CP Rail has reported that it has hauled more Canadian grain and grain products in the 2019-2020 crop production year than any in its 139-year history. In total, CP moved 29.52 million metric tonnes (MMT) this crop year, exceeding last year’s record of 26.77 MMT by 10 per cent. CP credits its 8,500-foot High Efficiency Product (HEP) train model for significant gains in efficiency. An 8,500-foot HEP train can carry in excess of 40 percent more grain than the 7,000-foot train model when combined with the additional capacity of CP’s new high-efficiency hopper cars.

The Government of Canada has announced that British Columbia now has the option to allocate up to $412,968,016 towards projects under a new COVID Resilience funding stream.  This amount represents 10% of its total allocation under the Investing in Canada infrastructure program.  Projects under the new stream will be eligible for a significantly larger federal cost share – up to 80 per cent for provinces, municipalities and not-for-profit organizations in provinces, and raising it to 100 per cent for remote, northern and territorial projects designated under the new stream. In addition to the new time-limited stream, a simplified application process for funding will ensure that projects can get underway as soon as possible. These changes will benefit communities of all sizes, including rural Canada. Rural and remote communities will have access to funding for mobile and cellular projects, for example, ensuring that the most urgent and needed projects are prioritized with a higher federal cost-share.

Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has advised that all travellers entering Canada are subject to mandatory quarantine or isolation, and exempt persons are required to provide their contact information. Exempt travellers are only required to provide their contact information to allow persons to be contacted during the 14-day period that begins on the day on which they enter Canada. Exempt persons, refers to someone who falls under one of the classes of persons listed in section 6 of Order in Council OIC 2020-0524 and is entering Canada, or returning to Canada, for that purpose. Crew arriving into Canada aboard commercial marine qualify as exempt travellers. To facilitate compliance with the collection of contact information CBSA is requesting that industry agents inform all crew to utilize the publicly available ArriveCAN app where possible when taking shore leave or when repatriating from a vessel.  The Master of the Vessel will be expected to include an attestation on behalf of all persons aboard the vessel, that the phone number and email addresses of each crew member are available upon request, as part of the Pre-Arrival Notice that is submitted to the CBSA.

Members of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) have agreed to voluntarily suspend US cruise operations until at least October 2020. This goes beyond the September 30 extension of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) No Sail Order imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has taken the first steps to deepen a 256-mile stretch of the Mississippi River from 45 feet to 50 feet, a move that will allow the Port of New Orleans to receive ships larger than the 10,000 TEU limit in place now. The Corps and the state of Louisiana signed an agreement for the $250 million project on Friday. Louisiana’s Department of Transportation and the Corps plan to issue contracts for the dredging work in the fall. The port hopes that the first phase of the project will be completed by early 2022, with a second phase by 2024. The federal government will provide 75 percent of the funding, with the state picking up the remainder.

Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound held a change of command ceremony Thursday morning at Coast Guard Base Seattle. Capt. Patrick Hilbert relieved Capt. Linda Sturgis as commander of the sector during the ceremony. Sector Puget Sound’s area of responsibility extends from the Pacific Coast of Washington State to the eastern boundary of Montana. It includes a 125-mile international maritime boundary with Canada, as well as a multitude of Tribal Nations. Hilbert’s most recent tour was in the 7th Coast Guard District as the Chief of Prevention, helping prevent marine disasters in the seas off Alaska. Sturgis, who served as the Sector Puget Sound commander for over three years, will retire from the Coast Guard after 27-years of service. Sturgis enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1988, eventually attending Officer Candidate School and becoming an officer in the Coast Guard in 1993.

On Tuesday, 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in a hangar at Beirut’s port caused a massive explosion, killing scores of people, injuring thousands, and destroying much of the city. Documents published online show senior Lebanese officials knew for more than six years that the ammonium nitrate was stored in Hangar 12 of Beirut's port, and that they were well aware of the dangers it posed. Reports indicate that the cargo of ammonium nitrate arrived in Lebanon in September 2013 on board the Russian-owned cargo vessel, Rhosus. The vessel was forced to dock in Beirut due to technical problems at sea, but Lebanese officials prevented the vessel from sailing, and eventually it was abandoned by its owners and crew. The ship's cargo was then offloaded and placed in Hangar 12. Over the years, customs officials have sent at least six letters to officials asking for guidance and warning that the material posed a danger. They proposed three options: Export the ammonium nitrate, hand it over to the Lebanese Army, or sell it to the privately-owned Lebanese Explosives Company. None of the letters received a response.

A study commissioned by the IMO has found that carbon emissions from shipping rose in the six-year period to 2018 and accounted for 2.89 per cent of the world’s CO2. The report indicated that CO2 emissions from shipping had raised to 2.89 per cent in 2018 from 2.76 per cent in 2012, when the last study period ended. CO2 emissions grew to 1,056 million tonnes in 2018 versus 962 million tonnes in 2012. The IMO said its Marine Environment Protection Committee would consider the study when it next meets.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has confirmed that 41 crew and 21 passengers (over two voyages) from the MS the Roald Amundsen have tested positive for COVID-19. The two voyages affected took place around Svalbard with boarding and disembarking in Tromsø occurred 17-24 July and 24-31 July.  Passengers from the MS Fridtjof Nansen and MS Spitsbergen in the Hurtigruten fleet have since been tested and all have received negative results.  The Hurtigruten line became the first to return to oceangoing cruises in mid-June following a three-month halt due to the pandemic.  Hurtigruten's expedition voyages have been canceled until further notice and investigations into the Roald Amundsen outbreak are under way.