Vancouver Shipyard Starts Building First NSPS Vessel
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…
BMT WBM Scientist Udy wins Kevin Smith Prize
BMT WBM’s Brisbane-based Graduate Scientist, Danielle Udy, was recently awarded the Royal Geographical Society of Queensland 2014 Kevin Smith Prize for her honours research. The Royal Geographical Society of Queensland presents medals to the highest achieving student majoring in geographical science at three major Queensland universities – James Cook University, The University of Queensland and the University of the Sunshine Coast. Danielle’s research identified atmospheric circulation patterns that were linked to recent flood events within the Brisbane River Basin to enhance flood forecasting potential. She will be presenting this research at the upcoming annual Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society conference in July.
Deepwater Horizon Spill Causes Fish Abnormalities
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that results to a new study conducted by a team of NOAA and academic scientists suggest that crude oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster causes severe defects in the developing hearts of bluefin and yellowfin tunas. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on the 25th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, show how the largest marine oil spill in United States history…
Vancouver Shipyards to Build New Ship in North Vancouver
BC Ferries announced that it has signed a $41m contract with Vancouver Shipyards, a Washington Marine Group company, to build a new 125-car intermediate size ferry. Construction on the 100 m vessel will begin later this year and the ship is expected to enter service by the summer of 2008. The new intermediate vessel will allow for the retirement of the 46-year-old Queen of Tsawwassen. The new ship will initially sail on the Earls Cove - Saltery Bay route on the Sunshine Coast. vessel includes a comfortable lounge, a snack bar and a new state-of-the-art lifesaving system. The process for selecting the successful builder was started last year with 14 shipyards invited to participate in the prequalification process for the intermediate vessel…
