Report highlights Canada’s marine safety

VANCOUVER, BC—Canada’s waters as a whole have been getting safer over the past decade, with fewer commercial marine shipping accidents. This is the key finding of the Council of Canadian Academies’ new report Commercial Marine Shipping Accidents: Understanding the Risks in Canada.

Of particular interest in the report are conclusions associated with the Pacific Region, which experiences the highest level of shipping activity in Canada while having the lowest accident rate and a relatively lower risk profile.

“This independent research provides a realistic evaluation of the state of our safety framework, which includes a robust international and national regulatory regime and improving industry safety procedures,” remarked Robert Lewis-Manning, the President of the Chamber of Shipping. “While the Report’s conclusions are positive, our industry must continue to strive for improvements to managing risk and reducing its impact on the marine ecosystem.”

The Chamber of Shipping is involved in promoting safe and sustainable shipping practices. Lewis-Manning added that “the Report affirms the importance placed on protection of our marine ecosystem by First Nations and coastal communities. We share this priority and will work collaboratively to this end. The Chamber of Shipping applauds the effort of the Clear Seas Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping for initiating this workshop and report.”

The Chamber of Shipping is supportive of recent government initiatives to strengthen the mandate and capabilities of the Canadian Coast Guard, to review and strengthen the regulatory and spill response framework, and to dedicate scientific resources to improving risk mitigation of shipping and impact on the environment.

The Chamber of Shipping represents the interests of ship owners, agents, and service providers responsible for over 60 percent of Canadian international trade by ship. Our members view protection of the Canadian marine ecosystem as a priority and support several environmental initiatives associated with research to better understand the impacts of commercial shipping and also the development of best practices.