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Port Of Vancouver Sets Records.

Port Metro Vancouver has submitted an Environmental Impact Statement for a new container terminal at ROBERTS Bank in Delta, B.C. on Canada's west.

A commercial fishing vessel sank Saturday off the west coast of Vancouver Island, killing three of the

Vancouver Port Fire Leads To Evacuation.

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority Expands Noise Reduction Criteria.

Port of Vancouver urges ships slow down to help killer whales.

Vancouver Port to lead study on effects of ship noise on killer whales.

BC Ferries crews rescue six from sinking boats off Vancouver Island.

Most of the passengers on a whale watching boat carrying 27 people that capsized off Vancouver Island were on the left side of the top deck when a wave struck the boat's right side, causing the vessel to tilt and roll over, investigators said Tuesday.

Rescue helicopters, planes and coast guard vessels were scrambled to search the seas after the 65ft Leviathan II tourist boat sank eight miles from shore

Rescue helicopters, planes and coast guard vessels were scrambled to search the seas after the 65ft Leviathan II tourist boat sank eight miles from shore

Most species of whales are vulnerable to vessel collisions, and the probability of lethality increases logistically with vessel speed. An Automatic Identification System (AIS) can provide valuable vessel activity data, but terrestrial-based AIS has a limited spatial range. As the need for open ocean monitoring increases, AIS broadcasts relayed over earth-orbiting satellites, satellite AIS (SAIS), provides a method for expanding the range of AIS broadcast reception. We used SAIS data from 2013 and 2014 to calculate vessel density and speed over ground around the coast of Washington state in the northwestern United States. Nearby shipping lanes connecting the Ports of Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, and in Canada, Vancouver, have the greatest density of vessel traffic arriving and departing. Knowledge of shipping activity is important in this area due to the nearby presence of NOAA designated Cetacean Density and Distribution Working Group's Biologically Important Areas (BIA) for large whale species vulnerable to vessel collisions. We quantified density and speed for each vessel type that transits through BIA's. We found that cargo and tanker vessels traveled the farthest distance at the greatest speeds. As ship-strike risk assessments have traditionally relied on terrestrial AIS, we explored issues in the application of SAIS data. Temporal gaps in SAIS data led to a resulting systematic underestimation of vessel speed in calculated speed over ground. However, SAIS can be helpful in documenting minimum vessel speeds across large geographic areas and across national boundaries, especially beyond the reach of terrestrial AIS receivers. SAIS data can also be useful in examining vessel density at broad scales and could be used to assess basin-wide open ocean routes. Future use of additional satellite platforms with AIS receivers and technological advances will help rectify this issue and improve data coverage and quality.

The inland waters around southern Vancouver Island and northern Washington State, known as the Salish Sea, host critical habitat for endangered southern resident killer whales (SRKW). This is, however, a highly traversed area, with approaches to industrial ports and coastal cities, international shipping lanes, ferry routes, and considerable recreational vessel traffic. Vessel noise is a key threat to SRKW prosperity, and so conservation measures directed to mitigate its effects have been explored annually since 2017. Here, we describe trials undertaken in 2020, which included spatially limited slowdown zones, exclusion areas as Interim whale Sanctuary Zones (ISZs), and a lateral displacement of tug transits to increase the distance between their route and SRKW foraging areas. To assess each of the measures we first considered the level of mariner participation using data from the Automated Identification Systems (AIS), mandatory for commercial vessels. Knowing this, the changes in soundscape were examined, focused on impacts on broadband (10 Hz to 100 kHz) ambient noise and the frequencies used by SRKW for communication (500 Hz to 15 kHz) and echolocation (15 to 100 kHz). A control period of two-months prior to trial initiation was used to quantify the changes. High levels (> 80%) of compliance were found for each measure, except ISZs, where observance was low. Median reduction in speeds ranged from 0.2-3.5 knots. Resulting sound reductions were most notable in the lower frequencies, although reductions were also recorded in SRKW pertinent ranges. Tug displacement also reduced ambient noise in these frequencies, despite making up a small portion of the overall traffic. The management trials were effective in reducing potential impacts singularly and in concert. Greater awareness and stakeholder engagement may increase compliance and, therefore, the efficacy of measures in the future.

Teck Resources Limited (TSX: TECK.A and TECK.B, NYSE: TECK) ("Teck") and OLDENDORFF Carriers GmbH & Co. KG ("OLDENDORFF") today announced an agreement to use wind propulsion to further reduce CO2 emissions in Teck's supply chain. The joint investment will see the vessel Dietrich OLDENDORFF, which carries shipments of Teck steelmaking coal from the Port of Vancouver, outfitted with a FLETTNER Rotor system by mid-2024.

Six New Icebreakers Announced for Canadian Coast Guard.