Demystifying Maritime Governance

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In this Report, You'll Learn About

  • The rules and regulations governing the marine shipping industry and its operations
  • How the governance of shipping is applied in the Canadian and international contexts
  • The legal and institutional frameworks that apply to marine shipping in Canada and internationally
  • Contemporary issues related to the governance of shipping, including Indigenous rights, marine spatial planning, risk governance, and seafarers’ health and safety

Read or Download the Report

124-page PDF

Project Summary

Clear Seas partnered with a team at Dalhousie University and the Memorial University of Newfoundland on a multi-part project to help increase knowledge of maritime governance in Canada. The research sought to add clarity around the different pillars of maritime governance and to analyze drivers of change in the existing system. It also explored emerging issues, needs and approaches for consideration in effective governance of shipping.

Clear Seas supported the creation of a series of resources to help inform decision-makers, rights holders, stakeholders, and the public on the governance of shipping. This includes a comprehensive, multi-part report that breaks down the global and domestic structures, frameworks, actors, interconnections, and processes involved in maritime governance.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaway

The knowledge and resources made accessible through this project will help to improve the collective understanding of how marine shipping is governed in Canada and beyond. A deeper understanding of the legal and institutional structures involved in the governance of shipping helps support informed decision-making and dialogues among leaders, industry members, Indigenous and coastal communities, and the public.

Download Figures from the Report

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Presentation of Results

Watch the research team introduce the study and discuss the report’s highlights and conclusions:

A summary presentation of the project and its key findings can be downloaded here.

Research Team

Aldo Chircop, Ph.D., Professor and the Canada Research Chair in Maritime Law and Policy, Dalhousie University

Desai Shan Headshot

Desai Shan, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine of Memorial University of Newfoundland

Claudio Aporta

Claudio Aporta, Ph. D., Professor, Canadian Chair, Marine Environmental Protection, World Maritime University

Leah Beveridge

Leah Beveridge, Interdisciplinary Ph. D. candidate, Decolonizing Arctic Shipping, Dalhousie University

Jessica Cucinelli

Jessica Cucinelli, Research Assistant, Industrial Engineering, Dalhousie University

Floris Goerlandt

Floris Goerlandt, Assistant Professor, Industrial Engineering, and Canada Research Chair in Risk Management and Resource Optimization for Marine Industries Dalhousie University

Cornelia Opoku Gyemfi

Cornelia Opoku Gyemfi, LLM Candidate, Maritime and Environmental Law, Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law

Alireza Jahanbaksh Headshot

Alireza Jahanbaksh, Ph.D. candidate, Ocean and Naval Architectural Engineering, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Ronald Pelot

Ronald Pelot, Ph. D., Professor, Industrial Engineering, Dalhousie University

Weishan Wang

Weishan Wang, Interdisciplinary Ph. D. candidate, Marine Spatial Planning and Arctic Shipping, Dalhousie University

Om Prakash Yadav

Om Prakash Yadav, M.Sc. Medicine (Community Health), Memorial University of Newfoundland

Jennifer Steele

Jennifer Steele, Manager of Research and Knowledge Mobilization, Clear Seas

Published November 21, 2022

Last modified on February 21, 2023