Environment Canada News

The Vancouver International Maritime Centre (VIMC) is on a mission to grow the city and port into one of the world’s premiere maritime centers. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News recently spoke with Kaity Arsoniadis-Stein, Executive Director of the newly re-established VIMC, for her insights on the pace and direction of the initiative. Let’s start out easily. Why Vancouver? Why now? Why Vancouver? Projections and studies indicate that global trade will increase and shift to the Pacific due to the demand of resources by China and India.

Extreme Arctic yacht race planned  a race through the Northwest Passage, from New York to Vancouver Island, is possible only because of sea-ice melt, the organizer says. Sailing The Arctic Race (STAR) is launching an extreme sailing race from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the ultimate course - the Northwest Passage. The elite and extreme yacht race is being planned for 2017 is not for the faint of heart, and definitely not for the light of wallet. It will be a fleet of international sailors racing high performance volcanic-fiber offshore yachts for an epic adventure through pristine wilderness. Rapid climate change has hit the Arctic hard. For the first time in human history it is possible to sail over the top of North America in a single season.

SATCOM edges closer to providing standardized services to the workboat sector. It’s affordable now and someday soon, you won’t be able to afford to be without it. Dartmouth, Nova Scotia-based JouBeh Technologies today makes it possible for far flung workboats to transmit critical data back to principals and at the same time, allow regulators and operators alike the possibility of reliable asset tracking on the water. Maybe it’s not YOUR workboat, but someday soon, it could be. As a reseller and integrator for Iridium Communications, JouBeh’s business mix penetrates many sectors. On the water, what they are doing for the federal government of Canada in two different applications has potential for North American commercial inland operators, as well.

Canadian, U.S. Coast Guards and Foss Maritime coordinate a textbook response operation. Robust response trumps the need for later salvage. In the early hours of Friday, October 17, the crew of the Russian cargo ship Simushir attempted to repair a broken oil heater. On its way to Pevek in the Russian Far East, the vessel suddenly lost propulsion and began drifting toward the nearest land, which in this case was the archipeligo Haida Gwaii. Just off the coast of northern British Columbia…

Scientists at the Army Corps of Engineers, Environment Canada and NOAA documented a record-setting surge in water levels on Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron that began in January 2013, and has continued through November 2014. The United States and Canadian federal agencies expect water levels to stay near or above average on all of the Great Lakes over the next six months. At no other point in recorded history have water levels risen as much on Lake Superior and Michigan-Huron over the same two-year period, NOAA said.

U.S. Coast Guard personnel and Canadian federal agencies, including the Canadian coast guard, Transport Canada and Environment Canada, are monitoring a 134-foot barge drifting in the Beaufort Sea after it broke free from its tow in Canadian waters during a severe storm Monday. U.S. Coast Guard authorities were notified on Tuesday that the barge was drifting westward in the Beaufort Sea toward U.S. waters, based on computer drift models. Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard Sector Anchorage response personnel are working with the owner to develop a response plan, and are standing by to assist. The self-propelled, unmanned barge, carrying 950 gallons of diesel fuel, broke free from the vessel towing it and began drifting west with the wind.

The Franklin Expedition ship discovered in early September by the 2014 Victoria Strait Expedition is Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Erebus. Sir John Franklin, who was in command of the Franklin Expedition, sailed on HMS Erebus, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Wednesday. On May 19, 1845, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror of the Royal Navy departed Greenhithe, England, on a much-heralded Arctic expedition in search of a Northwest Passage. Under the command of Sir John Franklin…

The Govermnent of Canada announces that with an unprecedented number of organizations from the public, private and non-profit sectors it will partner together, using state-of-the-art technology, to locate the historic ships of the ill-fated 1845 Franklin Expedition. The 2014 Franklin Expedition will also have the added benefit of furthering our knowledge in a number of priority areas, including through the collection of important scientific information about Canada's most remote region. Government partners for the 2014 Victoria Strait expedition include Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard, the Royal Canadian Navy…

The Port of Seattle, along with the Port of Tacoma and Port Metro Vancouver, implemented the first international ports clean air program in 2008, & now releases their DRAFT 2013 strategy. Agency partners include U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA), Washington Department of Ecology, and Environment Canada. Read the 2013 DRAFT Strategy here.

Lake Michigan-Huron sets all-time record for lowest monthly water level. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District through its Great Lakes Hydraulics and Hydrology Office reports a preliminary new record low water level for Lake Michigan-Huron for the second month in a row. The new record low of 175.57 meters or 576.02 feet is not only the lowest January monthly average water level ever recorded, but also the lowest monthly average ever recorded for any month over the official period of record for Great Lakes water levels, which extends back to 1918. The Corps issues water level forecasts for the Great Lakes in coordination with Environment Canada…

Harper government announces pan-Canadian risk assessment study on marine safety. The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, today announced that Transport Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian Coast Guard and Environment Canada, is commissioning a pan-Canadian risk assessment study on readiness to respond to ship-source spills in Canadian waters. “Our government is working to protect the safety of Canadians and the environment,” said Minister Lebel. “Canada depends on marine shipping for jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity.

New clean fuel regulations in California and voluntary slowdowns by shipping companies substantially reduce air pollution caused by near-shore ships, according to a new NOAA-led study published online today in Environmental Science & Technology. The study examined a container ship operating under a 2009 California regulation requiring that ships switch to low-sulfur fuels as they approach the California coast, and also adhering to a voluntary state slowdown policy, intended to reduce pollution. The research team found that emissions of several health-damaging pollutants, including sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, dropped by as much as 90 percent.

Representatives from the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards, Arctic region stakeholders and established responders are scheduled to hold a joint “Canada - United States North” (CANUSNORTH) tabletop exercise March 16 and 17 at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage. This biennial exercise provides an opportunity for all responders to work together to consult on local issues and improve communications and coordination for potential responses to pollution incidents in the contiguous waters of the Arctic Ocean and Beaufort Sea. Over thirty response organizations and regional stakeholders have been invited to participate. These include the Canadian Coast Guard, Environment Canada, U.S. Seventeenth Coast Guard District, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Anchorage, the U.S.

A Halifax Provincial Court Judge has imposed a penalty of $80,000 against the Motor Vessel Alida Gorthon for a pollution offense. The Alida Gorthon is a 12,750 GRT general cargo vessel owned by Blow Sea Shipping Ltd. and registered in Cyprus. The vessel faced charges under the Canada Shipping Act related to the unlawful discharge of a pollutant and failure to report the discharge of a pollutant. The charges were laid following a June 22, 2007 pollution incident in which an oil slick of less than 13 gallons was spotted in the vessel's wake, approximately 124 miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Advanced detection equipment aboard Transport Canada's Dash 8 surveillance aircraft was instrumental in detecting and gathering evidence in the case against the vessel.

Transport Minister David Collenette today announced that the federal government has successfully prosecuted the MV Cape Benat, a Liberian-registered chemical tanker, for spilling canola oil in Vancouver Harbour. The pollution incident occurred while the vessel was loading canola crude oil at Vanterm, in the Port of Vancouver, on November 23 and 24, 1999. The MV Cape Benat is owned by the Cape Benat Navigation Company of Liberia and operated by Columbia Ship Management of Cyprus. The vessel was charged with unlawfully discharging a noxious liquid substance into Canadian waters, a violation of the Canada Shipping Act. The British Columbia Provincial Court imposed a $60,000 penalty on the vessel owner, the Cape Benat Navigation Company.

The Honourable David Anderson, Minister of the Environment tabled legislation in the House of Commons that will allow Canada to more forcefully protect its marine environments from polluters. “Marine waters off Canada’s coasts are among the world’s richest in terms of seabird life, and we are determined to better protect them”, said Minister Anderson. “The legislation we are tabling today will raise fines to $1 million. An Act to amend the Migratory Birds Convention Act (1994), and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (1999) will more effectively address enforcement issues in cases of marine pollution. The legislation will also provide clarity for enforcement officials…

Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre announced the purchase of new marine pollution aerial surveillance equipment that will significantly strengthen Transport Canada's National Aerial Surveillance Program. The $2.3 million contract will cover the purchase of the equipment, as well as the on-board crew training. "The Government of Canada is committed to preventing pollution from ships and to continuously enhancing the protection of our marine environment," said Mr. Lapierre. Transport Canada conducts aerial surveillance to detect marine pollution from ships. When such pollution is detected, charges may be laid under the Canada Shipping Act.

President George Bush has signed into law legislation repealing a four year old rule imposing a 50% duty on the cost of routine repairs and maintenance carried out by U.S. merchant mariners while their vessel is at sea. The elimination of the duty, which customs authorities have levied on US-flag carriers since April 2001, represents a victory for the domestic shipowning community. The community has lobbied hard against it since its introduction. President Bush signed into law the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (S. 2845). The major emphasis of the legislation is reform of the U.S. intelligence organization. Other measures, though, may impact the maritime community.

When Holland America Line's ms Zaandam sets sail from Vancouver, B.C., on Earth Day, April 22, it will be unlike any other cruise ship at sea, featuring new cutting edge emission reduction technology recently installed during a two-week drydock. In cooperation with several United States and Canadian government and regulatory agencies, Holland America Line has launched a technology demonstration project, designed to demonstrate the feasibility of using sea water to "scrub," or reduce, engine emissions on oceangoing vessels. BP, uses the natural chemistry of seawater to remove virtually all sulfur oxide (SOx) as well as significantly reduce particulate matter emissions.

Canadian waters. diesel fuel while transferring the fuel from a supply vessel. provincial court. Court, and $35,000 to the Environmental Damages Fund. operations and to prosecuting marine polluters whenever there is sufficient evidence. imposed by the courts act as a deterrent for any would-be polluter. eliminate ship-source marine pollution in Canadian waters.

To determine the feasibility of new technology designed to dramatically reduce air emissions on seagoing vessels, Holland America Line plans on conducting a seawater scrubber feasibility project aboard one of its cruise ships thanks to the assistance of a $300,000 EPA/West Coast Collaborative grant and $100,000 contribution from Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. The total cost of the installation is more than $1.2 million. This innovative project is intended to demonstrate how advanced seawater scrubbing reduces air emissions on large oceangoing vessels. The results will determine whether this technology could be rolled out to new oceangoing vessels, as well as retrofitting existing vessels.

Transport Minister David Collenette today announced that the federal government has successfully prosecuted the M/V Cala Palamos, a Cypriot-registered container vessel, owned by Nordpartner of Limassol, Cyprus and operated by Oldendorff K.E., based in Limassol, Cyprus, for the Canada Shipping Act (CSA) violation of unlawfully discharging an oily substance into Canadian waters. The pollution incident occurred while the vessel was berthed at Pier 36, in the Port of Halifax, on February 21, 2002. The vessel’s owner, Nordpartner, was assessed a penalty of $100,000 by the Nova Scotia Provincial Court in Halifax. Under the polluter pays provisions of the Canada Shipping Act…

Water levels in North America's Great Lakes, the world's largest fresh-water system, are below average for this time of year, and this will affect shipping, recreational boating and marina operators this summer, the Canadian government's environment department said. Environment Canada said water levels in lakes Huron, Erie, St. Clair and Michigan, which have dropped for the past four years due to warmer temperatures and increased evaporation, are all below average and lower than they were last summer. The average has been calculated annually since 1918. The ministry said lakes Michigan and Huron are at their lowest levels for this time of the year since 1965, and are currently 2.73 in. below chart datum -- the key reference level used on navigational charts.