The Montreal Port Authority and the Longshoremen Union CUPE Local 375 have announced a truce, bringing an end to the strike. The 1,125 longshore workers at the Port of Montreal will be back at work at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 23 to provide berthage and cargo handling services in all Port of Montreal terminals. The MEA and the Longshoremen Union have agreed to a seven-month truce during which no pressure tactics will be used, a period that will allow both parties to continue negotiating while fully maintaining port operations.

The Haida Nation, federal government and shipping industry will be launching a voluntary shipping protection zone trial for the west coast of Haida Gwaii this fall. Vessels weighing 500 tonnes or more will be asked to observe minimum distance of 50 miles from west coast. Vessels going between Pacific Northwest ports will be asked to observe a 25 nautical mile distance and cruise vessels will be asked to observe a 12 nautical mile distance. Tugs and barges will be exempt. The trial will start in September and run for a period of one year.

Detailed vessel tracking analysis to determine participation rates of large commercial vessels during the first two weeks of the Swiftsure Bank slowdown has shown that over 80 per cent of vessels have indicated that they intended to participate in the slowdown during this timeframe.

The Port of Halifax has seen an increase in cargo traffic in recent weeks, as they try to accommodate shipments originally intended to route through the Port of Montreal. Halifax has seen the dramatic increase because it is one of the few ports on Canada's East Coast that has the equipment, crews, and access to rail lines to handle the extra cargo. The port authority is using all its available space to house the additional cargo and the Port is prioritizing its regular customers who move cargo through the port continue to receive reliable, efficient service.

On August 18th, the future Coast Guard vessel the CCGS John Cabot began sea trials, marking a major milestone for this third Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel (OFSV) built by Seaspan Shipyards under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). The vessel was officially launched just 6 weeks ago at Seaspan’s North Vancouver shipyard. The time span between launch and sea trials is considered best-in-class in the shipbuilding industry and echoes the ship’s 97 per cent complete status at launch. On completion of sea trials, the future CCGS John Cabot will be prepared for an anticipated delivery to the Canadian Coast Guard in September before sailing to her home port St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador where she will take her place in the Coast Guard fleet alongside sister ships CCGS Sir John Franklin and CCGS Capt Jacques Cartier.

The BC Ferries has reported a first-quarter net loss of $62 million dollars as they deal with significant impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. In comparison, the company reported net earnings of $12.2 million over the same period in 2019. The decrease in revenue was partially offset by reductions in operating expenses of $36.7 million compared to 2019’s first quarter. As a result of travel restrictions and a significant drop in ridership, BC Ferries cut down its service on many of its sailing routes. At the onset of the pandemic ridership reduced by 75 to 80 per cent in a matter of days. The organization has also announced that they will be adding 769 sailings above contract on its minor and northern routes, with the new schedule matching pre-COVID-19 service levels. These extra sailings seek to benefit many coastal communities while also serving the interests of the general public. Effective August 24, BC Ferries passengers will be required to wear face masks at all times while aboard a ferry and when inside a ferry terminal. Previously, passengers were only required to wear a face covering when in a situation where it was difficult to maintain physical distancing.

The federal government has announced that they will extend the Canada-US land border closure for another 30 days until Sept. 21. The closure to non-essential travel has been in place for months, but with Covid-19 caseloads still high in many US states, the two governments have mutually agreed to continue restricting movement across the border. Essential workers will still be able to cross by land despite the restrictions. The Canadian government is also seeking to reduce the movement of Americans through Canada. US travellers headed for Alaska have been limited to five crossings in Western Canada and they must commit to taking a direct route.  

The Government of Canada has issued a notice to provide guidance for vessels during the ongoing labour dispute in Montreal. The notice indicates that the following options are available until further notice:

• Vessels wishing to discharge containers must report and present to the Port of Halifax, NS or Port of Saint John, NB or
• Vessels may wait at anchor at the Port of Montreal until the port reopens for normal operations

See the full notice here: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/cn-ad/cn20-29-eng.html