Dear Minister Garneau, Transport Canada, with the support of the commercial marine transportation sector, the Pacific Pilotage Authority, and the Vancouver Fraser and Nanaimo Port Authorities, has been instrumental in the successful implementation of the six-month Interim Anchorage Protocol established to reduce the impact of anchorage operations on local coastal communities on the South Coast of British Columbia. The Protocol has resulted in a more equitable distribution of vessels using existing anchorage locations and has diminished to a degree of noise and light pollution from vessels anchored in the region. While it was not anticipated, the launch of the Interim Anchorage Protocol coincided with extreme supply chain congestion as railways encountered significant constraints in their ability to deliver Canadian commodities to the west coast. The trade corridor challenges resulted in a high demand for all available anchorages for an extended…

Vancouver, March 13, 2018 – The Chamber of Shipping was pleased to host federal Minister of Transport, Marc Garneau, at its Annual General Meeting of members. The Minister used this opportunity to highlight the Government of Canada’s support for the marine shipping industry and the importance it plays in ensuring a competitive, fluid and environmentally sustainable national supply chain and trade corridor. “Over the past year, we have been working closely with the federal government on many issues related to the shipping industry, but specifically on those that help to deliver on commitments made under the Oceans Protection Plan,” said Robert Lewis-Manning, President of the Chamber of Shipping. “We see a real opportunity to contribute to this critical dialogue by providing evidence-based advocacy which will ultimately help us to strike a balance between a strong economy and a healthy environment.”…

Vancouver, March 8, 2018 – The Chamber of Shipping wishes to stress the urgent need for Canadian railways to meet the service expectations of shippers and customers as it relates to the prompt shipment of all commodities and containers to and from Western Canadian ports.  The importance of a predictable and well-functioning supply chain cannot be overemphasized as supply chain efficiency is critical to the competitiveness and environmental sustainability of Canadian ports. Trade growth, which is further enabled through agreements like the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) being signed today in Chile by Canada’s Minister of International Trade, requires that our internal systems and networks are reliable and prepared for further growth.   At present, the lack of fluidity and congestion in the supply chain has caused an undesirable number of vessels to wait at anchor until sufficient cargo is available for loading. This inefficiency has negative consequences on coastal communities in addition to extra costs that make Canadian gateways less competitive. Every year, commercial shipping results in…

Vancouver, February 22, 2018 – The Chamber of Shipping welcomes the Government of Canada’s announcement of further details concerning the review and modernization of anchorage operations as part of the Oceans Protection Plan. The success of the Canada’s international trade through its western gateways continues to put pressure on the need for anchorages when fluidity of the supply chain is challenged during the winter months.The current framework for managing anchorages throughout the South Coast of British Columbia has not been coordinated in a manner that addresses the impacts on coastal communities. The Interim Anchorage Protocol implemented on February 8, 2018 was developed with the support of the Chamber of Shipping, Pacific Pilotage Authority, and the Vancouver and Nanaimo port authorities, in an effort to immediately lessen the impact of vessels in anchorages where possible. During the period of the Interim…