Teck Resources is preparing for a possible strike at Westshore terminal, a key coal export terminal in BC. The announcement comes after Westshore Terminals Limited Partnership received a 72-hour strike notice from ILWU Local 502, which represents workers at its coal export terminal at Roberts Bank, BC. The company and union have been in negotiation for several months over a new collective agreement after a previous agreement and two others expired Jan. 31. While further talks are scheduled, the strike notice will stop work on Dec. 19 resulting in the complete suspension of operations.

The MV Schiedyk is leaking oil into the waters of a provincial marine park in Nootka Bay. Fifty-two years ago, the vessel hit an underwater ledge on the south side of Bligh Island while carrying goods from Gold River to Portland, sailing past Nootka Sound on the western coast of Vancouver Island. Investigators have found the bleeding wreckage upside down at the bottom of the Zuciarte Channel after locals called the Canadian Coast Guard in September about a sheen on the water. Investigators are studying historic and initial reports from the shipwreck to determine how much oil might have been on board, how much might have leaked at the time of the sinking, and where the fuel tanks were stored. So far, they have confirmed the ship was carrying bunker oil and diesel.

Seaspan Shipyards announced a $300,000 investment in Let’s Talk Science, a charitable organization that has been providing Canadian youth and educators with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs for more than 25 years. Seaspan’s three-year commitment will support the roll-out of new Kindergarten–Grade 12 programming across Canada designed to educate and inspire youth about STEM careers in the marine and shipbuilding industries.

The Nanaimo Port Authority is providing 60 days notice regarding the proposed changes to wharfage, berthage and harbour dues contained in the 2021 Fee Document, pursuant to section 51 of the Canada Marine Act. More information can be found on their website.

This week, the Canadian Coast Guard College in Cape Breton graduated two classes of students, including one Lewis-Manning, who will now join MCTS Centres on Canada’s coast. Congratulations to the graduates of the Marine Communications and Traffic Services Program as you embark on a rewarding and important career.

The Western Canadian Wheat Growers believe that raising the carbon tax in the middle of a pandemic will have a negative impact on farmers. They have noted that the carbon tax applies to all goods shipped to farms, but those costs cannot be passed on to the end consumer as grain is sold at world commodity prices, regardless of input costs. The carbon tax could hurt farmers income by tens of thousands of dollars for each farm. They claim that grain farmers have been using sustainable farming technology for decades yet have been given no recognition for their role in keeping carbon emission low.

Two newborn North Atlantic right whales have been spotted off the coast of the U.S., providing some hope to the survival of the species, of which there are about only 400 left in the world. One was Dec. 4 the first baby was spotted off the coast of Georgia alongside its mother who is believed to be 13 years old. Three days later, the second baby was spotted in Florida, alongside its mother who is believed to be 16 years old. This is a positive sign as it is only the beginning of calving season, which runs from mid-November through mid-April. Of the around 400 North Atlantic right whales left in the world, only about one-quarter of those remaining whales are breeding females.

On Wednesday, the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter James offloaded more than 23,000 pounds of cocaine worth about $400 million at Port Everglades, Florida. The drugs were seized in the Eastern Pacific off Mexico, Central and South America, and they comprise the results of 20 interdictions of suspected smuggling vessels. Eight U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy and Royal Navy ships contributed to the haul.

The unprecedented container collapse aboard the container vessel, ONE Apus, could end up costing $200 million in cargo damage. On a voyage from Yantian to Long Beach, ONE Apus encountered 20-foot swells at a position about 1,600 nm northwest of Hawaii. The incident saw most of the vessel's on-deck container bays collapse, leading to 1,816 containers falling into the sea. While thousands of containers remain on deck, and they will have to be examined individually to determine the full extent of any internal damage; many show obvious external signs of damage, especially containers towards the bottom of each stack.

CMA-CGM will be suspending cargo bookings to arrive at ports in southern China over several weeks in early 2021 due to a suspension of service by feeder operators. Feeders collect containers from smaller ports and take them to terminals where they can be loaded onto large vessels. The move comes amid a global shortage of containers that is likely to hamper surging exports from China as the world stocks on up everything from appliances to personal protective equipment after the coronavirus crisis. The suspension will affect at least 28 ports from Fuzhou in Fujian province to Haikou on Hainan island.