Tag: Canada

PSA International, a Singapore-based port operator,  has finalised an agreement to take over the Halterm Container Terminal in the Port of Halifax, Canada, and multipurpose Penn Terminals in Pennsylvania, USA. Yet, the company didn't provide any financial details related to the transactions.

Harjit S. Sajjan, Canada's Minister of National Defence, took part in a ceremony at Irving Shipbuilding for the start of construction for the fourth Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship, the future HMCS William Hall. This is the fourth of six such ships to be built for the Royal Canadian Navy. The AOPS project is part of Canada’s renewed focus on surveillance of Canadian territory, particularly its Arctic regions.

The Government of Canada stated that it supports a new maritime information system pilot project in partnership with the Tuktoyaktuk Hunters and Trappers Committee. Via the Oceans Protection Plan, the Government of Canada is collaborating with Indigenous people, local stakeholders and coastal communities to protect Canada’s unique marine environment from coast-to-coast-to-coast.

As the West of England reports, the Asian Gypsy Moth (AGM) is a highly destructive forest pest that feeds on both deciduous and coniferous trees. The voracious appetite of AGM larvae (caterpillars) coupled with the ability of the female moth to travel significant distances, as much as 20 nautical miles, can cause widespread defoliation leaving trees weakened and susceptible to disease and other pests.

Marc Garneau, the Canadian Minister of Transport, issued a new Interim Order expanding areas in which navigation is not allowed in certain areas of flooding in order to protect the safety of people and vessels, and help first responders do their jobs in flooding conditions. The public is also called to stay off all flooded waterways in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick to ensure navigational safety, and prevent damage to infrastructure and the environment.

Canada has become the 44th State to accede to the IMO's Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention, which covers the legal basis for States to remove, or have removed, shipwrecks, drifting ships, objects from ships at sea, and floating offshore installations.

British Columbia's workplace safety regulator, WorkSafeBC, finished its investigation on the fatal tug accident that took place at a sawmill on Okanagan Lake in 2017. According to the agency, an engine compartment hatch was unsecured, the person who lost its life was using a non-functioning inflatable life vest, while alcohol was also present on board the ship.

Rising global maritime traffic could lead to sharp increases in invasive species around the world over the next 30 years, according to a recent study by McGill University researchers. The findings suggest that shipping growth will far outweigh climate change in the spread of non-indigenous pests.

Canada's Department of National Defence announced that the nation's fleet of Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships will be operational by 2025. The new fleet will comprise of six ice-capable Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) that will be used by the Royal Canadian Navy for surveillance operations in Canadian waters.

Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport of Canada, announced that the country is providing funding over three years to the British Columbia Institute of Technology to deliver a program to increase access to marine training courses for women, Northerners, Inuit and Indigenous people through the Oceans Protection Plan. BCIT and Camosun will also cooperate with various industry partners, marine employers, and Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary.