The United States Coast Guard says the US and Canadian Coast Guards will "conduct a towing evolution using a State of Alaska Emergency Towing System" on Friday afternoon off Juneau, Alaska. The participating vessels are the Canadian Coast Guard Marine Service Vessel and Ice Strengthened Medium Navaids Tender CCGS Bartlett and the US Coast Guard cutter USGC Maple. Like […]
The District of Kitimat plans to issue a tsunami hazard and evacuation map for the town. Fire Chief Trent Bossance and Emergency Coordinator Bob McLeod told a forum on emergency preparedness on November 4 that the map is in the final stages of preparation and will be distributed to residents in the near future. The forum was […]
Today BC Premier Christy Clark's government outlined a series of “world leading” standards for environmental protection on the ocean and on land, if pipeline projects like the Northern Gateway and the Kinder Morgan expansion are to go ahead. One has to wonder what Premier Clark told Prime Minister Stephen Harper when she gave him the […]
The TERMPOL report issued today on the increased tanker traffic on Douglas Channel may mean restrictions not only on the tankers themselves, as proposed by Enbridge, but also safety restrictions on recreational boaters and both commercial and recreational fishing. The appendix to the report says: The collision risk for the proposed tankers is assessed to […]
A report from TERMPOL for the the Joint Review Panel on Enbridge's proposed marine operations for the Northern Gateway pipeline project, finds While there will always be residual risk in any project, after reviewing the proponent’s studies and taking into account the proponent’s commitments, no regulatory concerns have been identified for the vessels, vessel operations, the […]
The Canadian Autoworkers Union, which represents Canadian Coast Guard radio and traffic communications staff, is urging Canadians to sign an online petition against a government decision to cut service hours at 11 of 22 Marine Communications and Traffic Services centres, and close another by the end of 2012. One of the stations affected by the service […]
Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield late Wednesday issued a statement calling objections by the CAW to an overtime ban at Coast Guard radio, "misleading." The safety of Mariners is our top priority and we would not implement any policies that would put lives at risk. As a result of a risk assessment and workload study, in […]
The Coasta Cruise line Sunday issued a statement about the sinking of the liner Costa Concordia, which ran around off the island Giglio, near Tuscany, Italy on Friday. There were 4,200 passengers and crew on board when the ship hit a rock or reef, was beached and later sank on its side. Five bodies have […]
Scientists from the University of California at Davis and NOAA studying herring spawning beds in San Francisco Bay after the Costco Busan oil spill. (UC Davis) A 53,569 gallon (202,780 litre) spill of bunker oil in San Francisco Bay in 2007 had an "unexpected lethal impact on embryonic fish," according to scientists from the […]
Environment Fishery Documents obtained by CBC News say there are major cuts coming to DFO and the Canadian Coast Guard. Fisheries and Oceans to 'shed' services Employees of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans were told Wednesday their employer will soon be significantly smaller, and responsible for fewer things. DFO also warned its […]