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The Globe And Mail News

13 Feb 2016

Cautious Optimism on Pacific NorthWest LNG Report

Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA)  has ruled that Pacific NorthWest LNG’s project in British Columbia would likely harm harbour porpoises and contribute to climate change, but the export terminal could be built and operated without causing major ecological damage, reports The Globe and Mail. CEAA says that the Pacific Northwest LNG project will not lead to significant adverse impacts on the Skeena salmon fishery. The federal government has released its draft environmental assessment report on the proposed Pacific NorthWest liquefied natural gas terminal, but First Nations and conservation groups in Northern B.C. say their input wasn’t taken into account.

22 Jan 2015

Canadian Pacific Hires Marsh as Sales VP

The appointment of Tim Marsh as senior vice president sales and marketing by Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd is aimed at bolstering its battered intermodal business, says a report from Globe and Mail. Marsh, who brings 25 years of international shipping industry sales and marketing experience, most recently served as executive VP North America Trade Division for Cosco Container Lines (COCSO), the global shipping giant. CP has lost some big intermodal customers to Canadian National Railway Co., and appears to be taking a big step toward winning new contracts in the business of handling containers that travel by ship, rail and truck. Marsh will lead a sales team that has recently lost the intermodal business of APL Ltd., Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, and Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd.

12 Jan 2015

ExxonMobil to Invest $25b in Canadian LNG Export

U.S. energy giant Exxon Mobil Corp could spend up to $25 billion on a British Columbia LNG terminal project to export liquefied natural gas. Exxon counts on its global expertise to make the Canadian project viable, says a report in the Globe and Mail. Malaysia’s state-owned Petronas is widely viewed as the front-runner among 18 entrants in the race to export LNG from the West Coast. Exxon is positioning itself to make up ground on Petronas. But, says the newspaper, Petronas decided last month to delay its decision on whether to forge ahead with its Pacific NorthWest LNG joint venture near Prince Rupert, citing the need to decrease anticipated construction costs, overcome environmental hurdles and consult further with First Nations.

17 May 2012

Boaters Should Get 'Ticket' Before Setting Sail

Every year more than 100 Canadians die while boating, with the period between May and August accounting for the majority of drowning fatalities. With boating season fast approaching, now is the time to get prepared before heading out on the water. "The majority of boating accidents can be prevented with a few simple precautions," says Robert Dupel, spokesperson for BOATERexam.com. "We want to remind boaters that it only takes five minutes to review a pre-departure boating checklist. For over thirteen years, BOATERexam.com has worked closely with Transport Canada to deliver safe boating courses (online and in class) that prepare recreational boaters for Canadian waters.

04 Feb 2011

Billions in Canadian Shipbuilding Contracts Insight Politics

According to a report from The Globe and Mail, Stephen Harper is poised to kick off the greatest round of government shipbuilding in Canada since the Second World War. Pegged at $35b, the sums involved easily dwarf the funds committed for the Conservatives' controversial plan to buy $9b worth of F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin. The report said this will ultimately pit three regions of Canada against each other and force a difficult choice upon Harper. He'll have to decide which region to leave out in an election year: the East, the West or Quebec. (Source: The Globe and Mail)

12 Sep 2008

Canada Revisits Offshore O&G Exploration

Led by Husky Energy Inc., a handful of companies won development rights on four offshore parcels by committing to spend a total of $186-million to explore them, the Canada- Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board said yesterday. The successful rights sale has fuelled further optimism in the province's oil and gas industry, which recently celebrated a $7-billion deal to develop the oil field and is expecting 's partners to reach agreement to proceed with the next phase of that first offshore project. Oil companies were last active in the region in the late 1970s and early 1980s – spurred by federal grants under the National Energy Program – and made five significant discoveries of gas.

07 Jan 2008

Norway Plans Tunnel for Ships

Norway has drawn up plans to build the world's first shipping tunnel, according to a report from The Globe and Mail. Officials say the tunnel would save time and money for vessels passing through a coastal area known for its dangerous seas. Strong winds, high waves and powerful currents in the area of Stad on the western coast of Norway cause long delays while ships wait for calmer conditions. The Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) is behind the recommendation to build the 1,700-metre tunnel and has concluded that it would be cost effective. The tunnel would cost an estimated $316m and take five years to build. Plans for construction have the tunnel cutting through a peninsula which would save ships the treacherous journey around the coastline.

10 Oct 2007

Canada Firm on LNG Tanker Stance

A federal study has concluded that LNG tankers could navigate Head Harbour Passage off the Bay of Fundy with little risk of accident, but the Canadian government continued to insist that it will bar U.S. tankers from the disputed waters. Proponents of the competing LNG plants proposed for northern Maine have seized on the study to argue that the Canadian government has exaggerated the safety concerns in order to favour domestic producers. The federal government has refused to co-operate with U.S. regulators who are reviewing three separate plans for terminals that will regasify imported liquefied natural gas and pipe it to markets in the U.S. Northeast. Earlier this year, Canada's Ambassador in Washington, Michael Wilson, wrote to U.S.

22 Jun 2006

Husky to Explore for New Reserves

Husky Energy Inc. is set to launch a major new exploration effort offshore of Newfoundland, with the aim of finding oil reserves separate from its existing projects, according to a report on www.theglobeandmail.com. The company, with partner and operator Norsk Hydro ASA, are planning to begin drilling by the end of the month in the West Bonne Bay region of the Jeanne D'Arc Basin, just to the northeast of the Terra Nova project. Details are still being finalized, but the two partners have a rig contracted -- and plan to explore for 60 days. That exploration will begin as soon as Husky wraps up drilling near its White Rose project, an effort the company said yesterday will add up to 90 million barrels -- two years of production -- to that project. (Source: www.theglobeandmail.com)

31 Mar 2006

BC Ferries Sued Over Ferry Sinking

A couple who were aboard the ill-fated Queen of the North last week has launched the first lawsuit against British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. Meanwhile, the man in charge of health and safety at BC Ferries has resigned, the Globe and Mail reported. In Vancouver, lawyer David Varty filed a statement of claim on March 28 with the B.C. Supreme Court on behalf of Maria and Alexander Kotais. The couple were aboard the Queen of the North and in the process of moving to Nanaimo, B.C., from Kitimat, on the north coast. The Kotais had moved their basic items already in a moving van, but were carrying their more precious valuables, like jewellery, family heirlooms, clothing and important documents, in their vehicle and the vehicle of a friend who was also on the Queen of the North.

28 Mar 2006

Video Reveals Sunken B.C. Ferry

First video footage from a downed British Columbia ferry suggest the vessel apparently sank in a single piece but the whereabouts of two missing passengers remains a mystery. A three-hour mini sub dive located the Queen of the North intact in about 420 meters of water. The vessel was found resting on its keel. Silt covers the hull up to the rubbing strake — a horizontal piece of material on the outside of a ship used to prevent damage from rubbing up against a pier or dock — and above in some areas. There was no sign of the two missing passengers, a B.C. couple, Gerald Foisey and Shirley Rosette. The video footage has been reviewed by B.C. Ferries and the Transportation Safety Board — which is investigating the accident — as well as representatives of Transport Canada and the RCMP.

24 Mar 2006

B.C. to replace 3 Ferries

The B.C. Treasury Board on March 22 approved an agreement that will allow the long-awaited purchase of replacements for the vessels on northern routes. The Treasury Board meeting was previously scheduled, and it was a coincidence that it was on the day that the passenger ferry struck a rock and sank off the north coast of the province. The terms of the agreement, under which the province will pay increased service fees to B.C. Ferries, have not been made public. It is estimated that the total cost to replace the Queen of the North, Queen of Prince Rupert and Queen of Chilliwack will be about $300 million. The new ferries should be in operation between 2009 and 2011. The three northern ferries were scheduled to be retired by 2010. (Source: Globe and Mail)

18 Jan 2006

V-Adm. Drew Robertson Heads Canadian Navy

Vice-Admiral Drew Robertson assumed command January 17 during a ceremony in Ottawa, replacing Vice-Admiral Bruce MacLean as chief of Maritime staff. The ceremony was presided over by General Rick Hillier, chief of Defense staff. Adm. Robertson has served in the Canadian Forces for 32 years in a variety of key positions, including command of the destroyers Annapolis and Athabaskan. He also led the first Canadian task group during its six-month Operation Apollo anti-terrorism deployment in 2001. Most recently, he was the director general of International Security Policy at National Defense Headquarters. (Source: www.theglobeandmail.com)

18 Jan 2006

Husky Eyes Third Offshore Project

Calgary-based Husky Energy Inc. said it will spend $298.5 million on its East Coast operations, including exploration and that it had acquired rights to two more parcels in the Jeanne D'Arc Basin, the area in which its White Rose project is located. Husky has promised to spend $31.1million over the next five years in those newly acquired areas, accounting for the large majority of the $33.8 million bid in exploration rights in the 2005 sale. The company's effort for this year includes work to delineate the reservoirs feeding the White Rose project, which began producing oil late last year. Discoveries on that part of the effort could be tied into existing infrastructure.

07 Dec 2005

Tax Doubles for North Sea Energy Companies

The British government, struggling to erase its deficit, is doubling the surtax for North Sea oil and gas companies, a move that surprised an industry expecting an increase half that size, according to a Globe and Mail report. The proposed increase in the supplementary tax for North Sea energy companies is for 20 percent of income from the current 10 percent, with the change expected to cost the industry the equivalent of $13-billion over the next three years. The move affects several Canadian energy companies with North Sea assets, including Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Nexen Inc., Petro-Canada and Talisman Energy Inc. According to the report…

14 Nov 2005

Cruise Ships on Pirate Alert

According to a recent Globe and Mail story, a recent foiled attempt by modern-day pirates on the Seabourn Spirit cruise ship off the coast of Somalia demonstrates the effectiveness of security precautions that have become standard procedure on cruises. The International Maritime Organization requires that every cruise ship operating anywhere in the world have a security officer and between six and 20 crew whose only job is security, according to the story. The Seabourn Spirit is one of the smallest cruise ships in operation, yet the attackers couldn't get near enough to try to board it. The ship’s captain took the ship into a high-speed evasive maneuver designed to swamp the oncoming boats, and 161 passengers, were moved to a lounge for safety.