10 years of Clear Seas

Tanker Safety Expert Panel publishes its recommendations. Recommendation 45 sparks the idea for Clear Seas:

“The Government of Canada should collaborate with industry to establish and together fund a Canadian research and development program for oil spill preparedness and response. Research priorities should be identified through collaboration between industry, government and academia.”

The Port of Vancouver and the Canadian Embassy in Oslo brought a group of approximately 30 representatives from organizations such as First Nations Summit, Pacific Pilotage Authority, Islands Trust, the Chamber of Shipping of British Columbia, Western Canada Marine Response Corporation, WWF-Canada, federal and municipal governments and other stakeholders to Norway in June where they spent time in Oslo and Bergen to lay the groundwork for development of a B.C. Centre of Excellence in liquid bulk handling by seeking to understand best practices and successful promotion of the oil and gas industry in Norway, and to bring together a group of those advocating for and against oil and gas development in B.C.

Registered as the Centre of Excellence for Marine Transportation of Oil and LNG Commodities in Canada Society.

Clear Seas launches on July 6, 2015 as Clear Seas Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping with Dr. Kate Moran, CEO of Ocean Networks Canada, serving as Board Chair.

Clear Seas launches on July 6, 2015 as Clear Seas Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping with Dr. Kate Moran, CEO of Ocean Networks Canada, serving as Board Chair.

Established a multidisciplinary and geographically diverse Research Advisory Committee to provide insights for an impactful research portfolio.

Convened working groups to scope the Marine Transportation Corridors initiative, a multifaceted analysis to describe risks related to shipping and assist in marine spatial planning for Canada’s Pacific coast.

Published the first public opinion poll on Canadians’ Attitudes towards Marine Shipping in partnership with the Angus Reid Institute.

Published the Wheel of Maritime Law, an interactive tool to provide an overview of the national acts and international conventions, protocols and codes related to commercial shipping in Canada.

Expanded purpose to be the leading independent source of information on best practices for safe and sustainable marine shipping on Canada’s coastlines and waterways – now including the marine shipment of raw materials and processed goods along with Canada’s oil and LNG commodities.

Creation of the first two microsites to provide everything you need to know on Oil Tankers in Canadian Waters and Marine Shipping & You.

Published Vessel Drift and Response Analysis for Canada’s Pacific Coast to assess the risk that a disabled vessel could drift aground before help arrives. The study established likely drift rates for different types of vessels under different conditions.

Published an Emergency Towing Vessel Needs Assessment by Vard Marine Inc. to assess emergency towing vessel needs for different types of large commercial ships transiting Canada’s Pacific coast.

Published 2018 public opinion poll in partnership with the Angus Reid Institute.

Bud Streeter, former President of Lloyd’s Register Canada Limited and Americas Regional Manager of Naval Business and External Affairs took the helm as board chair. He has close to 50 years of experience in the maritime industry, where he has held leadership roles in both the public and private sectors.

Created a microsite to explain how marine mammals are affected by underwater noise from shipping activity.

Created a microsite to explain Who Pays for an Oil Spill in Canadian waters.

Created a microsite to explain how invasive species can be transferred by ships.

Published a study by Nuka Research to examine the availability and capability of commercial tugs to respond to a request for an emergency tow from a disabled ship in Canada’s Pacific region.

Launch of microsites to explain how shipping activity contributes to Air Pollution and the uses of LNG & Marine Shipping.

In the fall of 2019, Clear Seas partnered with the Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR) to launch the Canadian Marine Shipping Risk Forum (CMSRF) community of practice with support from exactEarth.

Reflecting on Clear Seas at Five Years: Research for a Sustainable Future.

Launched the Oil Spill Response microsite to illustrate what systems and processes are in place to respond to an oil spill in Canadian waters.

Published the results of an extensive mapping exercise by Dillon Consulting of physical, biological, and socio-economic features along most of Canada’s Pacific Coast: Assessing Sensitivity of Coastal Areas to Oil Spills.

Third opinion poll survey in partnership with the Angus Reid Institute.

Published the results of analysis of Vessel Traffic in Canada’s Pacific Region including the types, numbers, and routing of ships as well as the amount of oil carried as fuel and cargo.

Launch of the interactive Maritime Incidents & Accidents Dashboard. incorporating the past 10 years of Canadian and US data to support transboundary incident analysis and understand areas of elevated risk in Canadian waters.

Launch of the Managing Shipping Waste microsite to explain what types of operational wastes ships produce and how they are disposed of.

Published the first in a series of articles on Reconciliation in the Maritime Sector

Launch of the Indigenous Internship Program, an innovative initiative to conduct inclusive maritime-related research that integrates Traditional Knowledge and builds research capacity within Indigenous communities.

Assessment of Marine Shipping Trends in the Canadian Arctic over the past 30 years, focusing on two sites in the Northwest Passage, with recommendations on risk management strategies, impact mitigation, and including Inuit knowledge and perspectives in policymaking.

Published Assessing Shipping Risk in Canada, examining the rates of vessels involved in maritime incidents and accidents in Canada, based on the type of ship and occurrence and the volume of marine traffic in each region

Created a Story Map on Inuit Rights and Marine Use in four languages to provide a guide for communities on shipping regulations in Nunavut, drawing on research by Coastal Restoration Nunavut.

Published Decarbonizing Marine Shipping: Clean fuels for a greener future?

Welcomed Murray Coolican to the role of board chair. Murray brings past experience in leadership positions across a number of sectors including not for profit, government, and the private sector. He has worked on environmental and aboriginal issues, in the energy and natural resources sectors, and in financial services.

Published an analysis of the effectives of climate change on the maritime sector in Canada in Climate Change Vulnerability of the Canadian Maritime Environment.

Clear Seas team embarks on a reconciliation learning journey with Takaya Tours in Tsleil-Waututh Nation territory of səl̓ilw̓ət (Indian Arm).

Published a study on Assessing Pollutants in Scrubber Discharge Water from Ships to understand the potential impacts of exhaust gas cleaning systems on coastal ecosystems.

Published Investigating Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a Marine Fuel for Canada’s Arctic to understand the feasibility, risks, and benefits of LNG use in the Arctic.

Convened a diverse academic team to provide a comprehensive overview of the frameworks and emerging issues to help with Demystifying Maritime Governance.

Fourth opinion poll survey in partnership with the Angus Reid Institute.

Clear Seas team tours the nearly completed expansion of Westridge Terminal in Burnaby, BC.

Published an overview of Marine Shipping in the Great Lakes: What you need to know

Launched the Shipping and Ocean Conservation Integration (SOC-I) Program to support First Nations communities in exploring the intersection between marine shipping and ocean conservation.

Provided reflections on Indigenous Employment in the Ocean Sector and how Indigenous people are providing a much-needed injection of dynamic leadership and strong environmental stewardship to the marine industry.

Clear Seas team tours the newly arrived HaiSea Wamis hybrid-electric tug, before it commences operations in Kitimat at the Canada LNG facility.

Welcomed Serge Le Guellec to the role of board chair. Serge is the former President and General Manager of Desgagnés, where he led the operations of a fleet of 15+ merchant vessels including bulk carriers, tankers, and general cargo vessels.

Celebrating the latest cohort in the Indigenous Internship Program at an exhibit of Salish Sea canoe culture created by Zoe George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation.

Clear Seas’ Board, Research Advisory Committee, Staff and Interns gather on Tsleil-Waututh Nation territory.

Published Technology Implications for Marine Pilotage and the evolution of pilotage technology in Canada compared to other maritime nations.

Published Mapping Canadian Maritime Industry Initiatives to UN Sustainable Development Goals to demonstrate potential of SDGs as a sustainability reporting tool and maritime contributions to SDG achievement.

Fifth public opinion poll in partnership with the Angus Reid Institute.

Revised purpose to:

Lead and facilitate research that generates independent fact-based information on marine shipping issues;

Share clear and accessible knowledge that enables governments, industry and the public to make informed decisions on marine shipping issues;

Convene all voices in open and respectful dialogue on marine shipping issues; and

Create capacity sharing opportunities and work experiences for a more inclusive marine industry.

Clear Seas team gathers in Montreal to meet with stakeholders and advance research projects and Indigenous programs.

Celebrating the launch of the Indigenous Marine Career Advancement Program, with training in shipbuilding and repair and small vessel operation.

Clear Seas team tours Vanterm Container Terminal in Vancouver harbour.

Quiet Vessel Initiative results are compiled into a series of themed articles to bring the latest research into underwater noise reduction technology to a broad audience.

Published Increasing Capital Investment in Ports – A Practical Toolkit in partnership with C40 Cities.

Published Vessel Traffic Forecast to 2040 for Canada’s Pacific Region to provide an updated traffic baseline and projections of expected future traffic.

Launched the latest in the series of interactive deep-dive microsites to explain the role of Green Hydrogen & Marine Shipping.

Celebrating 10 years of commitment to independent, fact-based information on marine shipping issues accessible to all people in Canada.