Powell River Peak - June 3, 2015
Concerns were raised about the design of the new replacement ferries for the Queen of Burnaby and Queen of Nanaimo at the most recent meeting of the Northern Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee.
Slated for completion in 2016/2017, the Intermediate Class Ferries will have an semi-enclosed twin deck, with separate hatches and built-in roll on/roll off ramps for loading and unloading passenger and commercial vehicles.
Committee chair, Kim Barton-Bridges, and others, asked for details about loading vehicles into the enclosed space, wondering if cars would be above the waterline.
“It’s not like you are going down into a dark hole,” said Captain Al de Koninck, Northern Islands marine superintendent. According to de Koninck, the twin-deck vehicle decks are both above water, and the design calls for portholes.
De Koninck explained that the roll on/roll off design calls for commercial vehicles to be loaded on the top deck, with passenger vehicles below.
The design is being used, said de Koninck, because it allows for increased capacity and flexibility, and protects vehicles from spray.
“These designs are tried and true in the Northern Atlantic and Baltic, and they have weather that is equivalent, if not much heavier than ours,” he said.
A spokesperson from Transport Canada said roll on/roll off ramps are a common design used by ferry operators.
According to statistics provided by the Canadian Ferry Association there are at least 53 roll on/roll off ferries being used across Canada, including 34 by BC Ferries.
Darin Guenette, BC Ferries manager of public affairs, said there will also be a double set of consoles on the bridge, saving time at the terminal so the ferry does not have to turn around to load or off-load vehicles.
Despite faster ship loading and a quicker turnaround time, “there are no plans yet to change the schedule,” said Guenette.
“We’re 98 per cent of the way there,” he said, estimating the design will be finalized by the end of this month.
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CBC - June 2, 2015
Marine Atlantic will officially open its new $20-million passenger terminal in North Sydney, N.S., on Wednesday.
It's twice the size of the old terminal and includes a number of new features, including a separate lounge for commercial truckers, complete with showers and a quiet area. There are bright, spacious seating areas and Wi-Fi throughout the building.
"From a customer perspective, it's modern. It has the amenities that our customers expect," said Paul Griffin, Marine Atlantic's CEO. "It's just a wonderful, wonderful day for Marine Atlantic."
The new terminal is also much closer to downtown North Sydney. Instead of dashing across a parking lot and through lines of tractor-trailers, people waiting to board the ferries are now just steps away from local shops and restaurants.
Local merchants had long complained that the thousands of people who travel on Marine Atlantic each year had little interaction with the community.
"People are looking to see what happens this summer, and hopefully we'll have a great weather summer," said Dan Bunbury with the Business Improvement and Development Association in North Sydney.
"There's a lot of buzz about it for sure."
The construction of the new terminal — and removal of the old one — also frees up more space in Marine Atlantic's lot.
Officials hope that puts an end to long lines of trucks waiting alongside nearby highways when the company has to turn away commercial traffic during lengthy weather delays.
The company says it's working hard to improve the service, and says customer satisfaction rates have risen by 20 per cent, to 70 per cent, since 2010.
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June 2, 2015 - Our thoughts are with the families of victims and survivors of China's Eastern Star vessel that capsized on the Yangtze River with over 450 people on board.
Ferries in Canada adhere to the highest safety standards and are among the safest modes of transportation. In the past 3 years, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) reported zero ferry accidents involving injuries or fatalities.
“Canada enjoys one of the largest, safest and most secure marine transportation systems in the world,” said Serge Buy, CEO of CFA.
We are pleased to announce that Britmar Marine Ltd has joined CFA.
Britmar Marine LTD is a marine applications manufacturer stationed in Vancouver, BC. Their primary business is in commercial marine lighting.
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Green Marine - May 29, 2015
Green Marine awarded their environmental performance certificates to more than 80 maritime companies yesterday during its GreenTech 2015 conference being held in Seattle, Washington.
“It’s wonderful to welcome colleagues from across the continent to talk about further greening our business,” says Linda Styrk, Managing Director, Maritime Division, Port of Seattle and a Green Marine Board member. “Green Marine’s program helps organizations improve their environmental performance, and GreenTech is a great opportunity to learn from each other’s experience.”
The past year has been a banner one in terms of Green Marine’s recognition. A total of 11 participating companies – including the sixth largest U.S. cruise port, a major container terminal operator in New York, New Jersey and Vancouver, B.C., and one of the largest ferry operators in the world – achieved Green Marine certification for the first time:
BC Ferries
CSL Australia
GCT Global Container Terminals Inc.
Marine Atlantique
Owen Sound Transportation Company
Pinnacle Renewable Energy (Westview)
Port of New Orleans
Richardson International (Hamilton)
John’s Port Authority
Tidal Coast Terminals Ltd.
Yellowline Asphalt Products
The North American environmental program currently has 89 participants, compared to 34 when the initiative was launched in 2007.
The overall average obtained for 2014 was 3.1, compared to the average Level 2 achieved when participants submitted reports for the first evaluation year of 2008. Companies evaluate their performance for 11 indicators on a scale of Level 1 to 5. Individual company results are subject to an independent verification and published annually.
Green Marine’s positive results for 2014 clearly demonstrate that the ship owners, ports, terminals and shipyards participating in the program continually strive to improve their environmental performance.
In fact, 57% of the participants advanced at least one level in one or more performance indicators in comparison to their evaluation a year earlier. This increase is even more significant among the ship owners: 65% of them attained a higher level for at least one of the performance indicators.
Air and Water Quality
“This continual improvement reflects the concrete actions taken by our participants,” explained David Bolduc, Green Marine’s Executive Director. “A full 88% of the ship owners achieved higher levels for at least one of the indicators related to air quality, and nearly three-quarters of the ports and terminals have a plan in place to prevent water and land pollution. All these measures go beyond regulatory compliance.”
The 2014 results also demonstrate the program’s effectiveness in driving the maritime industry towards environmental excellence year after year, according to Paul Gourdeau, President of Federal Marine Terminals. “Being a participant in the program makes a real difference in the long term, as evidenced by the 3.4 overall average of the longest participants compared to the global average of 3.1 for all the participants combined,” he said.
A member of the Green Marine board since 2012, Mr. Gourdeau was elected as the new chair yesterday upon the departure of Greg Wight, who is retiring as President and CEO of the Algoma Central Corporation. In addition, Green Marine welcomes two new members to the board: Allister Paterson, the President of Canada Steamship Lines; and, Stephen Edwards, the President and CEO of GCT Global Container Terminals.
The 2014 performance report, which includes the individual results of all the certified participants, is available ici pour.
Pour obtenir de plus amples renseignements, cliquez ici.
Energy Mag - Serge Buy - Issue 1, 2015
Transportation on waterways has always been a crucial part of living in Canada. From the First Nations travelling by canoes through rivers and lakes to the early Europeans using the St. Lawrence River to explore North America: there has always been an emphasis on transporting people and goods by boat.
Canoes and schooners turned to paddle boats and steam engines. Vessels got larger and the number of passengers grew.
Today, nearly 50 million people and over 18 million vehicles travel annually on Canada’s ferry routes. Every day, ferries bring workers to work, tourists to their destination and goods to market.
Canada’s ferries are always working toward a greener tomorrow and minimizing their carbon footprint. Now, more than ever, we are seeing innovative technologies – such as LNG-fuelled vessels – being developed to help ferry operators achieve this goal. LNG has been heralded by major players in the industry – including BC Ferries President and CEO, Mike Corrigan, who recently said, “We call this a game-changer for BC Ferries, as after labour our biggest operating cost is diesel fuel. We believe LNG is the fuel of the future.”
Already, Canadian operators have ordered eight new LNG ferries, and taking steps to convert two existing ferries to LNG. One of the ferries that STQ has ordered is even being built at Davie Shipyards, based in Québec.
LNG Ferries in Canada:
It should be clear that LNG as a fuel source will change the way ferries operate in Canada. Ferry operators are choosing to make the switch to LNG as a fuel source because of the lessened environmental impact and significant financial savings. According to BC Ferries CEO Mike Corrigan, the use of LNG will save them over $9 million a year. This will help keep fares low and allow further investment in future vessels.
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Times Colonist - May 24, 2015
March 22, 2006, was the undisputed worst day in B.C. Ferries history: That was the day Queen of the North ran aground 70 nautical miles south of Prince Rupert and sank. Two of the 101 passengers were never found and have been presumed drowned. But that day was also a turning point for the ferry corporation, in that it began an organizational safety program that continues to this day.
* * * *
Capt. Michael Toevs has spent his life piloting ocean vessels, from fishboats as a young man to the B.C. Ferries vessels of today.
Despite 21 years with the ferry corporation, the 63-year-old Toevs says nothing beats practice when it comes to learning safe ship manoeuvres. And the best way to practise getting out of dangerous situations is do it without putting anyone in danger.
So when it comes to practising something like docking a fully loaded vessel in a high wind, ferry captains like Toevs use the three simulators installed by B.C. Ferries to instruct captains and bridge crews.
“You get to play with all kinds of scenarios without endangering anybody,” said the Victoria man.
It may not be real life, but when bridge crews are put through some tricky situations, the tension shoots up, said B.C. Ferries Capt. Scott Tuttle, who manages the bridge-simulator program in addition to piloting ferries himself.
“Crews really get lost in the simulator and they take it very seriously,” Tuttle said. “So there is some serious stress in the simulator.”
Tuttle said most B.C. Ferries employees are given a chance on the simulator to give them a sense of what the organization’s role is all about: safe and reliable transportation. And it has proved so successful, it’s hoped the simulators and instruction will be marketed outside the corporation as a training institution.
The three simulators, at Nanaimo, Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen, were built as part of an $8-million investment in safety after the sinking of Queen of the North on March 22, 2006, which is regarded as the fleet’s worst day.
Jamie Marshall, B.C. Ferries vice-president of fleet operation and a certified ship’s captain who began his career in the navy, said the simulators are part of a corporate-wide safety initiative given fresh impetus after the Queen of the North sinking.
B.C. Ferries captains and officers can also take simulated trips on a variety of vessel types going through tricky parts of the 24 routes, such as Active Pass between Galiano and Mayne islands, or docking at and leaving the 47 terminals.
Marshall said probably the trickiest manoeuvre, one that’s practised regularly, is leaving and docking at Tsawwassen. With the terminal built out from the shore at the end of a long spit, it’s exposed to high winds that can blow at right angles to a manoeuvring ferry.
“That’s a huge area of ship superstructure,” Marshall said. “The ship’s side has wind pushing on it, so the whole vessel acts like a big sail.
“So if you look out during heavy weather, it can look like the ship is crabbing in to Tsawwassen at a weird angle. But it’s the captain adjusting for the situation.”
Simulators also give captains and officers a chance to familiarize themselves with the characteristics of B.C. Ferries’ various ship classifications, 17 throughout the fleet’s 35 ships.
Marshall said B.C. Ferries, with its new building and ship-retirement plans underway, hopes the number of classifications in its fleet will be reduced to about five, making it easier for ship’s officers to move around.
Despite the relatively old age of the fleet, averaging about 32 years, B.C. Ferries vessels are remarkably reliable and safe. In terms of lateness and cancellations of the 180,000-odd sailings made annually, B.C. Ferries amassed a reliability of 99.7 per cent last year.
“Given the age of the fleet, that’s a pretty outstanding record,” Marshall said. “It really demonstrates the pride and effort of our engineering teams that go into supporting our operations.”
Although the corporation is proud of its safety tradition, B.C. Ferries has suffered some headline-producing, even tragic accidents over its 55 years of operation.
For example, in September 2000, a collision between the Spirit of Vancouver Island and an American yacht at Swartz Bay killed the two people aboard the pleasure craft. In August 1992, a vehicle plunged off the loading ramp when the Queen of New Westminster pulled away too soon. A mother and two daughters died.
Both those accidents were examined and both led to changes, including the installation of more than 1,000 closed-circuit TV cameras on terminals, docks and vessels. Cameras linked to the ship’s bridge, for example, now monitor loading ramps to prevent accidents like the Queen of New Westminster tragedy.
But the undisputed worst day in B.C. Ferries history was March 22, 2006, when Queen of the North ran aground 70 nautical miles south of Prince Rupert and sank. Two of the 101 passengers, Gerald Foisey, 46, and Shirley Rosette, 42, were never found and are presumed drowned. “The Queen of the North was the darkest day in the history of B.C. Ferries,” said Mike Corrigan, the corporation’s president. “It was the first time in our history that we lost a vessel and two people were also lost.”
Only nine days after that sinking, Corrigan was promoted from vice-president of business development to president of the operation. And right from the start, he made organizational safety B.C. Ferries’ single most important goal.
“From that day on, my top focus has been safety,” he said.
Corrigan and the corporation embarked on a number of independent safety audits, and learned the outfit was “as good as any other ferry outfit out there.” But after Queen of the North, that rating was not good enough. Instead, it was decided that B.C. Ferries should aim to be the safest ferry operation in the world.
“We realized to do that, we needed to change our whole safety culture at B.C. Ferries,” he said.
Conversations began with the unions to get employees on side to drive massive changes in how safety was viewed by the 10,000 employees. And the Sail Safe Program began.
At its heart, Sail Safe regards all accidents, minor mishaps or near misses as incidents that must be reported, examined and considered. The premise of the program is that only through close examination, without the need to assign blame, can accidents be prevented.
So the corporation records more than 5,000 incidents every year. The idea is not only to prevent similar incidents, but to identify hazardous trends.
The three simulators for bridge officers were constructed. Protocols for dealing with accidents were written and rehearsed regularly.
In all, the commitment to safety cost B.C. Ferries about $8 million. But last year, insurance premiums to agencies such as WorkSafe B.C. dropped by $1.1 million annually, so it’s already considered to be resulting in positive financial returns.
Also, B.C. Ferries has earned corporate awards that recognize the corporation’s “learning safety culture”: an organizational goal to always be on alert to protect the safety, health and well-being of employees and passengers.
Corrigan’s background and education are not in ships or transport. He majored in business and administration (paid for largely with hockey scholarships) and worked in a variety of businesses before joining B.C. Ferries.
But he is a strong believer in the business philosophy that says successful operations are ones that look out for the health and well-being of employees and customers. As a business philosophy, it works both ways. Healthy, safe employees and customers will look out for the success of an operation.
Corrigan said it appears to be working at B.C. Ferries.
Since 2007, when Sail Safe began, injuries that result in time off work have dropped 60 per cent, from an average of one every day to 140 last year.
Passenger injuries, mostly from slips, trips and falls, are down by nearly as much.
On-time service has improved by 78 per cent. Customer-service ratings have improved. And absenteeism has dropped by 34 per cent.
“That’s all a function of people who are working harder and are happier at work because they really believe their union and management care about their health and well-being on the job and at home,” Corrigan said.
“You really do get it back in spades.”
In one way Corrigan’s commitment is also a fulfilment of a promise he made to his own father.
A miner in the nickel mines of Sudbury, Ont., from the age of 14, his father had risen to be superintendent by 1984 when an accident killed four miners. One of them was about the same age as Corrigan and like him, was about to be married that same year.
“My dad drew a lot of correlations between that young miner and me,” Corrigan said. “So when I got married, it was a tough wedding for him, because he kept on thinking about the young miner lost in the rock burst.
“And I remember him telling me if I was ever in charge of an operation, then I damn well needed to do everything in my power to protect the health, welfare and well-being of every employee,” he said. “It’s something that has always stuck with me.”
© Copyright Times Colonist
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Global News - May 19, 2015
BC Ferries is looking to the public to help them name its new ships.
A contest will be held over the next three weeks where the public can submit name proposals for three new Intermediate Class Ferries that are currently being built. A panel of 12 judges will select finalists, with the winners being chosen by the BC Ferries’ Executive Management Committee.
Aside from the distinction of having named a ship, the winner will also receive $500 in ferry travel.
“This contest provides an exciting opportunity for customers to name a ferry that will be in service for decades to come,” said Corrine Storey, BC Ferries’ Vice President of Customer Services in a statement.
“A vessel’s name is important because it is a reflection of our province and the coastal culture we all share. This is a chance to leave a lasting legacy in coastal communities in British Columbia.”
BC Ferries says proposals involving geography, people or events will not be considered, along with any that use words already in a current ferry.
The ships will be completed in 2016 and 2017, and will replace the Queen of Burnaby (which travels from Comox to Powell River) and the Queen of Nanaimo (travels from Tsawwassen to Galiano, Mayne and Pender Island).
The contest, which you can enter here, runs until June 9.
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Times Colonist - May 9, 2015
B.C. Ferries has christened the newest addition to its fleet, a $15-million cable ferry that will run between Buckley Bay on Vancouver Island and Denman Island.
Unveiled Friday during a ceremony at Seaspan’s shipyard in North Vancouver, the Baynes Sound Connector was named for the channel between the two islands on its route.
One of the world’s largest cable ferries, it will arrive shortly in Buckley Bay, where three cables have been installed.
Ferries crews will be trained in June and July to operate the vessel.
The 258-foot-long cable ferry is slated to start service this summer after receiving certification from Transport Canada and the classification society Lloyd’s Register, a joint Seaspan-B.C. Ferries statement said.
It will have room for 150 passengers and 50 vehicles. The ferry will cross a distance of 6,234 feet and will be capable of reaching speeds of 8.5 knots.
“We are proud to construct and officially christen [B.C. Ferries’] first-ever cable ferry,” said Brian Carter, president of Seaspan Shipyards, in a statement.
Mike Corrigan, B.C. Ferries’ president, said Seaspan workers have “produced a fine vessel for us.”
Ferries has come under criticism for contracting with a Polish shipyard to build three new intermediate-class ferries. Seaspan had been the sole Canadian bidder shortlisted for that job, but dropped out, saying it was too busy with other shipbuilding jobs.
B.C. shipyards have been hired to perform refit and upgrading work on B.C. Ferries’ fleet. Seaspan also owns Victoria Shipyards, based at the Esquimalt Graving Dock.
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CBC - May 8, 2015
Fundy Rose will replace the 43-year-old Princess of Acadia on the ferry run between Saint John and Digby, N.S.
The name of the new ferry was revealed Friday.
The federal government had asked for the public's help to name the ferry. Fundy Rose is a combination of the top names submitted, officials said.
More than 1,100 submissions were received by the February deadline, said Saint John MP Rodney Weston and West Nova MP Greg Kerr, who made the announcement Friday on behalf of Transport Minister Lisa Raitt.
The first part of the name reflects the renowned tidal level of the Bay of Fundy, while the second part refers to Rose Fortune — a woman born into slavery, who was relocated to Annapolis Royal, N.S., after her family escaped the British colony of Virginia during the American Revolution and established a business transporting luggage from the ferry docks to hotels and homes via wheelbarrow.
Fortune eventually became known as the first female police officer in Canada — an unofficial title she earned by maintaining order and safeguarding property at the town's wharves.
"This combination name brings together the impressive uniqueness of the ocean location of the ferry service and the name of a prominent Maritimer who contributed significantly to life in this region in the 1700s," Raitt said in a statement.
The ferry, which was purchased from a Greek ferry operator for $44.6 million, was formerly known as Ithaki. The government had said it wanted a name with a more Maritime ring to it.
Fundy Rose, which is still being refitted, is expected to go into service by the end of June.
It will be faster and more efficient than the Princess of Acadia, and will offer improved amenities, including lounges and a cafeteria, officials have said.
Kerr described it Friday as a "wonderful, incredible ship."
The Princess of Acadia is expected to be put up for sale.
If a new owner can't be found, the old ship will likely be scrapped, officials have said.
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