by Canadian Sailings | Aug 30, 2017 | Environment, Ocean, Ocean Carriers, Other, Safety and Security
The federal Minister of Transport, Marc Garneau, and Fisheries and Oceans Minister Dominic LeBlanc, announced on August 11 that, in order to help reduce or eliminate deaths of North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence through collisions or other unintentional contacts with commercial vessels, the government is imposing a temporary mandatory speed reduction for vessels of 20 metres or more in length to a maximum of 10 knots when travelling in the western Gulf of St. Lawrence from the Quebec north shore to just north of Prince Edward Island. These measures are in addition to other measures already taken to reduce the possibility of whales becoming entangled in fishing gear.
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by Canadian Sailings | Mar 12, 2017 | Gateways and Corridors, Government and Regulation, Joseph Spears, Ocean, Other, Safety and Security
By Kiley Sampson and K. Joseph Spears
On January 27 2017, Mr. Justice Shawn Harrington of the Federal Court handed down an interesting decision that examined potential liability of the government of Canada involving the grounding of adventure cruise vessel M/V Clipper Adventurer which ran aground on an “uncharted rock” in Coronation Gulf in the Canadian Arctic on August 27, 2010. Before his appointment to the bench, the judge was an experienced admiralty law practitioner. This article will examine both the findings of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) and the Federal Court decision with respect to liability of the vessel owner. The grounding, and the subsequent TSB Marine Investigation and Federal Court decision are of interest to students of Arctic shipping. The grounding provides an insight into issues with respect to government of Canada’s obligations to provide Arctic shipping infrastructure and hydrographic charting, and the liability of vessel owners. It has been said that litigation is “an expensive way to learn.” This was a costly learning lesson.
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by CanadianSailings | Oct 31, 2016 | Air, Other, Safety and Security
By Alex Lennane
If Amazon really wants to be taken seriously in the transport industry, it is going to have to learn – and teach – the regulations on the shipment of dangerous goods. Last week the UK’s CAA fined it £65,000 for attempting to fly lithium-ion batteries and flammable aerosols. Amazon’s lawyer argued that the court should have some perspective, as the cargoes were merely “everyday household items”.
The fine, a drop in the ocean for the internet giant, follows similar violations outlined by the FAA in June. The FAA proposed a $350,000 fine after a chemical leaked through packaging, endangering nine UPS employees. The FAA, which claimed Amazon was not training its staff properly, said the company “has a history of violating the Hazardous Materials Regulations.” From February 2013 to September 2015, Amazon was found to have violated such regulations 24 times. Just two weeks later the FAA proposed yet another fine, of $130,000, for violating hazardous material regulations. The FAA is seeking some $1.3 million in fines from the e-tailer in total, noted Reuters.
Reprinted courtesy of The Loadstar (www.theloadstar.co.uk )
by CanadianSailings | Oct 31, 2016 | Corporate events & profiles, Other, Rail, Safety and Security
Canadian Pacific joined the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) in calling for the Minister of Transport to implement Locomotive Voice and Video Recorders (LVVR) as soon as possible. CP reiterates, however, that the true value in LVVR technology lies in shaping behaviour and preventing accidents before they happen.
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by CanadianSailings | Oct 31, 2016 | Gateways and Corridors, Government and Regulation, Other, Rail, Safety and Security
Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released the report on its safety study, Expanding the use of locomotive voice and video recorders in Canada. The study looked at technology, legislative and regulatory issues, the potential safety benefits of installing recorders in locomotives, and the appropriate use of locomotive voice and video recorders (LVVR) information, among other subjects.
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by CanadianSailings | Sep 11, 2016 | Other, Ports and Terminals, Safety and Security
As one Vancouver based CIFFA member wrote, "Welcome to Canada. CBSA has become the best marketing tool for Port of Seattle." Incredible as it may seem, delays from vessel discharge to containers being called for examination are as long as six weeks and more at Canada’s busiest port. And, while the entire process appears to be broken, it also appears that the rate of examinations at Vancouver is on the rise. Importers face the consequences of six and seven week delays to their goods – reduced sales, dissatisfied customers, cancelled orders – and then are hit with exorbitant examination, storage and demurrage invoices that can be $4,000 and more per container.
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