The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), representing 80% of the world merchant fleet, has issued a statement supporting our concerns with proposed Bill C-48, An Act respecting the regulation of vessels that transport crude oil or persistent oil to or from ports or marine installations located along British Columbia's north coast.  

ICS asserts that the proposals have not been developed through an evidence-based process, and believes that it would establish an unwelcome precedent that might be emulated elsewhere, including by individual US States, with the potential to impact greatly on the efficiency of world trade, as well as that of Canada.  It goes further to state that the environmental record of the shipping industry, especially the tanker sector, is impressive. On average, worldwide, there are currently fewer than two significant oil spills (over 700 tonnes) per year, compared to 25 such incidents per year thirty years ago, despite a doubling of the amount of oil transported by sea.  The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act has been referred to the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and we will appear before the Committee on October 31st. 

Last week it was reported that a dead Humpback Whale washed up near Ucluelet, and that the marine mammal was found to have a dislocated lower jaw bone.  Officials suspect that this was possibly a result of being hit by a large vessel.  Humpback whales experience the second highest strike rate of any whale species worldwide because they are relatively abundant and they often feed at or near the surface.  The North Pacific Population is migratory and have been spotted with higher abundance in the Swiftsure Bank area off the West Coast of Vancouver Island through October to April, and with a slightly lower frequency from May through September.  As a result of an increase in population the Humpback was reclassified from Threatened to Special Concern under the Species at Risk Act in 2017 and is protected under the Marine Mammal Regulations. Vessels transiting in BC Coastal waters have been encouraged to keep an active lookout for this and other species of whales, especially in areas of higher density.

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has recently completed the purchase of three strategic industrial-zoned properties in Richmond and Port Coquitlam. The three properties that were purchased by the port authority will be temporarily designated for continued industrial use by the port authority, pending a formal amendment to the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s Land Use Plan, and will continue to be used mostly for warehousing and distribution for the foreseeable future. The three properties include: 

• 1700 No. 6 Road in Richmond – 8.48 acres
• 11480 to 11500 River Road, Richmond – 9.46 acres
• 1305 and 1375 Kingsway Avenue, Port Coquitlam – 17.65 acres

The port authority will continue to pursue additional strategic acquisition opportunities as they become available and engage the region in a constructive and meaningful dialogue to find solutions to shared land challenges.

The US Coast Guard issued a notice announcing the availability of the updated alternative planning criteria national guidelines for vessel response plans (VRPs). These national guidelines provide the maritime industry with updated information on developing and submitting alternative planning criteria.  The update provides procedures that the maritime industry should follow when applying for alternate planning criteria in accordance with 33 CFR 155.1065 & 33 CFR 155.5067 and encourages consistent application of the review, approval and enforcement procedures for vessel response plans by the Coast Guard.

US Navy warships will now sail through high traffic areas with AIS transponders turned on to provide other vessels with real-time information on its location. Two US Navy destroyers, the USS Fitzgerald and USS McCain have collided with merchant vessels this year. While both collisions are still under investigation, it seems pretty clear that in both instances one or both vessels involved was not aware a collision was imminent. Navy ships are designed to appear as something much smaller when detected on the radar screens of other ships. Even in daylight, Navy ships are painted Haze Grey to make it very difficult for crews on enemy ships to make visual contact.  Today, the US Navy honoured 36 sailors for their bravery last June as they battled “constant peril from flooding, electrocution … and noxious fumes” for 16 hours in the aftermath of the collision involving the USS Fitzgerald, which killed two San Diego-area men and five other sailors.

The Coast Guard Marine Safety Center issued the sixth US Coast Guard Ballast Water Management System Type Approval Certificate to ERMA FIRST ESK Engineering Solutions S.A. after a detailed review of the manufacturer’s type approval application submitted in April 2017. The ERMA FIRST BWTS FIT is the first full flow electrolysis BWTS approved by the USCG.  The treatment process consists of a three step process consisting of filtration and electrolysis during uptake, and neutralization at discharge. This approval covers thirteen models with maximum treatment rated capacities between 90 m3/h and 3,740 m3/h.  A complete list of ballast water treatment systems that have been approved or have type approval applications currently under review can be found on the Marine Safety Center webpage.

The Marine Safety Center has also issued an updated type approval certificate to TeamTec OceanSaver AS for the OceanSaver BWTS MKII Ballast Water Management System. The updated certificate was issued as a result of the acquisition of all OceanSaver intellectual property, certificates and assets by IMS Group AS. TeamTec OceanSaver is a member of, and fully owned by, IMS group AS.