Type: Articles

“Governing shipping in the Arctic is extremely complex and it requires collaboration and respect.”
– Dr. Jackie Dawson

When a vessel is damaged, disabled or otherwise in distress at sea, finding a place of refuge – a place where it can be taken to prevent further damage to the vessel or pollution to the environment – can be critical.

Marine pilotage plays a vital role in marine safety and accident prevention.

There are four response organizations located in Canada.

The Oceans Protection Plan (OPP) is the largest investment ever made to protect Canada’s coasts and waterways.

For Arctic communities, marine shipping is often the only economical means of accessing essential goods, such as food, fuel and construction goods.

Abandoned and derelict vessels pose significant risks to marine safety and have both economic and environmental impacts on local communities.

With increased marine traffic in Canada’s coastal waters comes an increase in underwater noise from vessels – and a need to understand the impacts on marine mammals who use sound to communicate, feed, navigate and reproduce.

The term ‘polluter pays principle’ (PPP) is found in many of the guiding conventions, regulations and laws surrounding commercial marine shipping. However, the significance of the principle can be difficult to interpret.

Shore power is an effective way of reducing air emissions and improving local air quality.