West Coast Of Canada News

In 2021, Trans Mountain, on behalf of shippers for the Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP), awarded KOTUG Canada Inc. a long-term contract to provide escort towage services for tankers that load crude oil at Trans Mountain’s Westridge Marine Terminal.Trans Mountain operates Canada’s only oil pipeline servicing the West Coast of Canada providing tidewater access to foreign markets for Canada’s petroleum resources.Under the agreement, KOTUG Canada, which is a partnership between KOTUG International B.V.

HaiSea Marine, majority owned by Haisla Nation in partnership with Seaspan ULC, celebrated the naming and blessing of its tug boat fleet – which includes the world’s first fully electric harbor tug boat, along with dual fuel (LNG and Diesel) escort tug boats. Once delivered, the green fleet will provide ship-assist and escort towing services to LNG carriers calling at LNG Canada’s new export facility in Kitimat in the traditional territory of the Haisla Nation.Members of the Haisla Nation joined representatives from Seaspan…

SAAM Towage Canada announced it has acquired Standard Towing Ltd. and Davies Tugboat Ltd. Both companies provide harbor, shipdocking and towage services on the West Coast of Canada.“Through this acquisition we are adding three Canadian built tugboats to the fleet which are in excellent condition. In addition, SAAM Towage will expand our service area to Northern Vancouver Island. This strengthens our overall position in British Columbia,” said the President of SAAM Towage Canada…

Marine services and towage firm KOTUG Canada Inc., a partnership between KOTUG International and Canada’s Horizon Maritime Inc., has won a long-term agreement with Trans Mountain, operator of Canada’s only oil pipeline servicing the West Coast of Canada providing tidewater access to foreign markets for Canada’s petroleum resources. KOTUG Canada will provide escort towage to tankers loaded at Westridge Marine Terminal. "KOTUG Canada was selected for this purpose by shippers on the Trans Mountain Pipeline after a rigorous and competitive process facilitated by Trans Mountain.

Dubai-based port operator DP World announced it has completed the acquisition of Fraser Surrey Docks in Canada from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners (MIP) alongside its partner Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ).The enabler of global trade said in a press release that said the acquisition complements its footprint in Canada, which also includes terminal operations in Vancouver, Nanaimo, Prince Rupert and St John’s, without disclosing the value of the purchase.The integrated coast-to-coast platform provides customers with bulk, breakbulk and general cargo services.DP World's global strategy is to become a trade enabler and solutions provider as the company looks to participate across a wider part of the supply chain.

JGC-Fluor joint venture has awarded BJM the contract for the construction of the LNG Canada MOF, a material offloading facility to support the realization of a LNG export facility in Kitimat on the west coast of Canada, British Columbia (approximately 600 km north-west of Vancouver).BJM is a joint venture between BAM International (the operating company of Royal BAM Group active outside Europe), JJM Construction (Canada) and Manson Construction (USA).The project is part of the overall LNG Canada project. The MOF project consists of a 230-metre-long north quay wall and a 260-metre-long west quay wall. Work has already started as of July…

U.S. liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exports have grown year-over-year by 22% to 22.5 million tons year-to-date (YTD) and Middle East exports have grown on the same basis 3.5% to 22.6 million tons, said Dorian LPG.For the first time, U.S. and Middle East volumes were equal, said the owner and operator of modern very large gas carriers (VLGCs)."Our expectation is that the U.S. exports will grow faster than those from the Middle East. U.S. propane inventories continue to push towards the higher-end of their 5-year range, having reached 80 million barrels on July 26th, 21.4% higher than last year, which was almost equal to the percentage increase in exports," it said.North American export capacity continues to expand, further supporting global LPG trade.

Canada's Island Tug and Barge (ITB) christened the second of two new ATB tugs, the Island Regent, at its headquarters in Burnaby.The Island Regent was designed by acclaimed Robert Allan Ltd. naval architects and marine engineers of Vancouver, B.C. to be paired with ITB’s double-hulled oil tank barge, the ITB Reliant, as an articulated tug and barge (ATB), said a press release from the subsidiary of Tidewater Canada.Bob Curcio, Tidewater President and CEO said: “The first ATB, the Island Raider and ITB Resolution, has performed exceptionally well in its first year of service. We are excited to have the Island Regent and ITB Reliant joining it soon.

The first Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal (RIPET) in Canada was inaugurated and SAAM's new tug, the Tsmishian Warrior, was christened.The tug will provide services at the terminal, which is owned by the Canadian company Altagas —leader in energy infrastructure in North America— and the dutch firm Vopak.“SAAM closed a contract with RIPET, which included construction of this new tug. Two other tugs from our Canadian fleet will be deployed to support operations at the terminal. This long-term agreement is a milestone for our company and we are making the best technology available to support gas exports, especially to Asia,” commented SAAM’s CEO…

A report entitled “An investigation of air pollution on the decks of 4 cruise ships” studied levels of Particulate Matter (PM) on the decks of four separate cruise ships. While many studies have evaluated the potential impact of ship emissions in port cities, the author – Ryan David Kennedy, PhD, MAES, Department of Health, Behavior & Society, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health – said in the report that “little is known about how ship engine exhaust may impact the air quality on the deck of a ship.

Turkish shipbuilder Uzmar Shipyard has inked a deal with Saam Smit Canada Inc. (SST Canada), a joint venture partnership between Boskalis of the Netherlands and Saam S.A of Chile, for the construction of a new escort tug for operations in British Columbia, Canada. Designer Robert Allan Ltd. said the state-of-the-art RAstar 3200-W tug will be capable of safely performing all ship-handling roles, including berthing, unberthing and escort duties, including in heavier weather conditions.

Royal Vopak and AltaGas have entered into a joint venture and will invest together in the development of the Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal (RIPET). RIPET is expected to be the first propane export facility off the west coast of Canada. The project is to be designed to ship 1.2 million tonnes of propane per annum, with approximately 96,000 cubic meters of storage capacity. The facility is expected to be commissioned in Q1 2019. Vopak will take a 30 percent interest in RIPET. Vopak's investment is underpinned by long-term customer contracts and  is fully aligned with Vopak's long-term strategy where storage and handling of gas has been earmarked as one of the strategic focus areas.

Seaspan Ferries Corporation’s (SFC) Seaspan Swift, a new hybrid LNG fueled and battery powered ferry, entered service between the British Columbia mainland and Vancouver Island. The innovative vessels is classed by Bureau Veritas, and it is reported to be the first hybrid LNG fuelled and battery powered vessel in service and the first LNG fuelled vessel operating on the west coast of Canada. Additionally, the on-board bunkering of LNG from a truck trailer is a first in North America. Designed by VARD Marine, the 148.9m vessel is the first of two to be built at Sedef Shipbuilding, Turkey.

Bureau Veritas congratulates owners Seaspan as their new emission reducing ferry enters service between the British Columbia mainland and Vancouver Island.Seaspan Swift is Seaspan Ferries Corporation’s (SFC) new dual-fuelled / hybrid - diesel, liquefied natural gas and battery powered ferry. The new ferry is the first hybrid LNG fuelled and battery powered vessel in service and the first LNG fuelled vessel operating on the west coast of Canada. Additionally, the on-board bunkering of LNG from a truck trailer is a first in North America.Designed by VARD Marine, the 148.9m vessel is the first of two to be constructed at Sedef Shipbuilding, Turkey.

Ocean Shipping Consultants' 2016 container traffic report for the west coast of Canada forecasted that container demand through the Port of Vancouver and Port of Prince Rupert would be 6.62 million twenty-foot equivalent unit containers (TEUs) by 2030 (base case), with 5.93 million TEUs and 7.53 million TEUs as the low case and high case respectively. The forecast shows continued growth in container trade through the west coast of Canada at a compound annual growth rate of about 4 percent, and reinforces the need for planned increases of capacity to ship goods in containers through the existing Deltaport and Centerm terminals in Vancouver and the Fairview Terminal in Prince Rupert. The report also confirms that the proposed Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project will be needed by the mid-2020s.

Press release - AAL has announced the opening of a new office in Vancouver, Canada. This continues the company’s global expansion strategy, which has, in the same month, seen the opening of AAL Korea. The move strengthens the company’s on-the-ground presence and customer support function in a region experiencing growth and development. AAL is also one of the first global shipping operators established in Vancouver to have benefited from the support of the newly launched Vancouver International Maritime Center (VIMC).

The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, joined by Andrew Saxton, Member of Parliament for North Vancouver and John Weston, Member of Parliament for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, announced that Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards (VSY) has started construction on the first National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) ship, the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG)’s Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel (OFSV). It was also announced that the first ship will be named CCGS Sir John Franklin in honour of a British Royal Navy officer and explorer of the Arctic. Found in September 2014, Franklin’s ships are an important part of Canadian history given that his expeditions…

Helm Operations has signed on Brazilian harbor services company SAAM SMIT Towage to its Helm Marine Operations software to manage its billing and dispatch. SAAM SMIT Towage started towage operations in Brazil in 2008 and is now active in eight ports and terminals. SAAM SMIT provides assistance to incoming and outgoing seagoing vessels – including ro-ro ships, oil and chemical tankers, container ships, reefers and mixed cargo ships. Robert Martijn Smits, Commercial Manager of SMIT Brazil, said that reliability was a deciding factor in their choice of Helm. “We chose Helm because with the expansion of SAAM SMIT Towage in Brazil we needed a confident, 100% reliable and professional dispatch system to accompany us in our growth.

In March 2015, Konecranes received an order for four Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) cranes from GCT Canada Limited Partnership for its GCT Deltaport facility located in Port Metro Vancouver, Canada. Destined for the country’s flagship container terminal, this will be Konecranes’ first RTG delivery to the West Coast of Canada. The cranes will be delivered fully-erect in the spring of 2016. The CSA-approved, hydraulics-free Konecranes RTGs on order are 16-wheel machines with a lifting capacity of 40 LT, lifting 1-over-5 high and 7-plus-truck lane wide. They will be equipped with a Tier 4f diesel genset and Konecranes’ Diesel Fuel Saver technology. The RTGs will also be equipped with Konecranes’ Active Load Control system, which eliminates container sway to increase container handling performance.

The gridlock at U.S. West Coast ports that has forced McDonald's to ration French fries at its Japanese restaurants and interrupted supplies to retailers such as Lululemon is unlikely to be alleviated by routing cargoes through Canada, whose Pacific ports face their own problems. Capacity is already limited at Canada's largest port, Port Metro Vancouver, which is also staring at the possibility of another crippling strike by container truck drivers. Tensions are mounting as talks to resolve longstanding complaints at the port drag on between government…

A comprehensive study assessing current marine-spill preparedness and response capabilities was released by the Province today. The study also outlines necessary improvements to achieve a world-class system to ensure B.C.'s coast is protected from potential marine spills. Nuka Research, an international expert in spill preparedness and response, had been commissioned by the provincial government to undertake the study so B.C. could better understand the federal government's ability to deal with a spill off the west coast.

A comprehensive study assessing current marine-spill preparedness & response capabilities has been released by British Columbia. The study also outlines necessary improvements to achieve a world-class system to ensure B.C.'s coast is protected from potential marine spills. Nuka Research, an international expert in spill preparedness and response, had been commissioned by the provincial government to undertake the study so B.C. could better understand the federal government's ability to deal with a spill off the west coast.

Vancouver Shipyards (VSY) has started design work under the Construction Engineering Contract for the Canadian Coast Guard’s Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel (OFSV). This contract will take a total of ten months to complete and lead to a build contract in early 2014. 1. Initial Design Phase – elements of the design will be matured and an initial cost model developed. 2. Functional Design Phase – design for spaces and systems will be completed, equipment identified, suppliers engaged and regulatory approval for the design obtained. 3. Production Design Phase – a detailed 3D model of the ship will be started to define final requirements for material and layout of spaces and systems.