Seaspan is appealing to Ottawa to be the choice to build the Canadian Coast Guard's next flagship, the CCGS John G. Diefenbaker. Their pitch involves an arrangement in which, if the Vancouver shipbuilder gets the contract to build the polar icebreaker, it will hire Newfoundland-based Genoa Design International to do part of the work. The goal is to show how the deal could benefit different parts of the country. Seaspan initially won the contract to build the CCGS John G. Diefenbaker in 2011, under Harpers administration, through Ottawa's multibillion-dollar shipbuilding strategy. At the time, Seaspan was contracted to built seven ships for $8 billion. But due to scheduling conflicts, technical problems and other issues, Ottawa asked shipyards in March to explain how and why they should get the contract.

The federal government has provided $100,000 in funding to help kickstart a plan to make Victoria a centre for innovative marine businesses. The funds will be used by the South Island Prosperity Partnership, the City of Victoria and the Association of B.C. Marine Industries to develop a business case and complete a feasibility study for the Ocean Futures Innovation Hub. The goal of the Ocean Futures Innovation Hub is to bring together marine companies of all sizes to share resources, provide mentorship to marine startups and act as an incubator for growth.

The Minister of Transport, the Honourable Marc Garneau, issued a statement for World Maritime Day. The statement expressed thanks to the marine industry for its work through the covid-19 pandemic, and on the Canadian economy as a whole. It also drew attention to the success of the Oceans Protection Plan and Canada’s place as a leader in ballast water management. He furthered that the government is now enabling more proactive, rapid, and effective response to oil spills in Canada’s waters, while maintaining the polluter pays principle, supporting research and innovation to enhance marine safety and environmental protection, encouraging women to consider maritime careers, and engaging with     coastal communities, stakeholders, researchers, and Indigenous communities in protecting Canada’s coasts and waterways. See the full statement here: https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2020/09/statement-by-minister-garneau-on-world-maritime-day.html.

The Governor General delivered the Speech from the Throne this afternoon, which is intended to be a high level, aspirational overview of the government’s intent. More details, and clarification on key policy goals, will be provided in the forthcoming mandate letters, fiscal update, policy and legislative announcements. While much of the speech focused on the covid-19 epidemic and the government’s plans to protect Canadians, the speech did contain commitments that could influence marine transportation and the marine industry in general, including:

1. Ramping-up support to provinces for COVID-19 testing;
2. Introducing legislated emissions reductions targets this year to reach net-zero by 2050;
3. Protecting 25 per cent of Canada’s oceans by 2025;
4. Investing in Canada’s “Ocean Economy”;
5. Cutting the corporate tax rate in half for companies developing zero-emissions products;
6. Introducing legislation to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples before the end of 2020;
7. Investing in training and retraining for Canadian workers;
8. Creating an Action Plan for Women in the Economy to ensure a feminist, intersectional response to COVID-19 and raising employment levels for women; and
9. Investing in updating outdated IT systems to modernize the way that Government serves Canadians.

The text and video of the Speech from the Throne is available here.

Last week, US senators Rick Scott and Senator Marco Rubio introduced the Set Sail Safely Act in an effort to restart cruises. The bill will establish a Maritime Task Force, in coordination with a Private Sector Advisory Committee, to address the health, safety, security, and logistical changes needed to allow for cruise lines and ports to resume operations. Cruise lines are current under a No Sail Order until September 30, 2020.

The ice-breaking tug, Breaker II has been delivered to the New York Power Authority (NYPA). The second of two tugs, the design and construction process was overseen by Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI). The vessel is an ice-strengthened, twin-screw towing vessel, inspected and certificated to the standards of U.S. Coast Guard Subchapter M. Its primary purpose is to install, retrieve, and maintain the Lake Erie – Niagara River Ice Boom, deployed in the winter at the mouth of the Niagara River. The Ice Boom is intended to minimize the amount of ice entering the upper Niagara in order to decrease ice blockages downstream that could damage shore structures, flood low lying areas, or obstruct flow into the intakes of NYPA’s U.S. or Ontario Power’s Canadian hydroelectric plant intakes.

The CMA CGM Jacques Saade has joined CMA CGM Group’s fleet thus becoming the largest LNG-powered container ship in the world. The vessel is the first 23 000 TEU container vessel in the world to be powered by liquefied natural gas. The vessel had a unique digital naming ceremony that saw the shipyard’s representatives in Shanghai and CMA CGM Group’s management in Marseille share in the moment. The CMA CGM Jacques Saade started its maiden voyage on September 23rd on the French Asia Line, which travels between Asia and Northern Europe. Its rotation will lead it to the ports of Pusan in South Korea; Tianjin, Ningbo, Shanghai and Yantian, China; Singapore; Southampton, Dunkirk, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Algeciras in Europe; and Port Kelang in Malaysia. This line provides a weekly service comprising 13 calls over the course of 84 days.

The Philippines has cut some port charges by 50% for vessels calling at the Port of Capinpin for crew change. The decision takes into considering the health, safety, and well-being of Filipino crew members. Affected port dues include dockage at anchorage, dockage at berth, and a lay-up fee.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has reappointed Esben Poulsson, its current chairman, for a further two-year term. Poulsson was appointed chairman of ICS in 2016 and was re-elected two years ago. During his tenure, Poulsson, a 49-year shipping veteran, has overseen ICS’s engagement with international bodies, national governments, and industry organisations on the key issues impacting the industry.