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Technology developments and international participation highlight Mariners’ Workshop of Shipping Federation of Canada

By Colin Laughlan, West Coast Correspondent

Vancouver- Canada’s maritime industry is leading the way in world-class information technologies, but its federally mandated Maritime Single Window is not one of them. That was a key take-away from the Shipping Federation of Canada’s annual two-day Mariners’ Workshop that wrapped up in Vancouver on January 22.

More than 130 delegates from industry, government and academe across Canada took part in this year’s conference which featured presentations of leading-edge marine technology developments by several high-ranking international speakers as well as Canadian innovators and technology developers in the maritime sector.

 “Our event this year, led by our Director of Mariner Operations, Captain Cédric Baumelle,  brings together participants from shipping companies, ports, marine pilot organizations, regulators and government agencies from across Canada and Europe,” said Captain Chris Hall, President and CEO of the Shipping Federation of Canada. “We have expanded the scope of topics by inviting more speakers with an international view, with the goal to bring a focus back to the professionals on the front lines – the mariners themselves.”

“Having those international perspectives was completely invaluable, said Capt. Hall. 

One of the major projects showcased at the Workshop was the S-100 framework for digitalizing marine navigation charts developed by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). Through the efforts of the Canadian Hydrographic Services, the St, Lawrence Seaway will serve as testbed for collecting data that will provide real-time, or near real-time data, overlays onto ship’s digital chart. The system allows a navigator to turn on a layer of different sorts of data to see their overlaid effect on the chart.

St. Lawrence Seaway viewed as ideal data test area 

Dr. Mathias Jonas, Secretary- General of the IHO told Maritime Magazine the St. Lawrence Seaway is an ideal test area in a number of dimensions. “It is busy; it is congested; it has high density traffic; it is subject to harsh conditions; it is near shore, so distribution of data is not an issue; You don’t necessarily need to do that by satellite.” 

“This testbed is a local application of a global system,” said Dr. Jonas. He commended Canadian Hydrographic Services for “bringing together many stakeholders and motivating them to contribute to the overall arrangement.” He noted there are no other precedents in the world at this stage. “This is holistic – there are other attempts in Singapore and the Baltic Sea but it not on that level,” said Dr. Jonas. 

“In the broadest terms, you could say the data are about marine geo-information: everything which is geolocated and has a purpose in the marine environment. The specific purpose here for us is navigation. There’s a wealth of information you need to navigate safely.”

Dr. Jonas noted that “what Canada managed uniquely, is to mobilise all the variety of stakeholders who are in charge of production of this specific information, ranging from nautical support up to ice, and currents, and water levels, to pack these data and to deliver in time to bring it all together on one device on board a ship.” 

He said there is a target date from the IMO (International Maritime Organization) “to make devices to work under this regime – under the assumption that someone provides those data – that this become officially accepted as a means of navigation by the 1st of January 2026 and the mandation to have it is January 2029.” 

Another E-Nav project described at the Workshop will also use the St. Lawrence River as a testbed. The IMPA R-Pilot project, in partnership with the National Center of Expertise on Maritime Pilotage and the Canadian Coast Guard, is assessing the readiness and impact of remote piloting technologies. 

Maritime Single Window

The Workshop also featured several presentations on other E-Nav topics, not least of which was related to Canada’s contentious absence of a Maritime Single Window (MSW), which requires all necessary information related to a ship’s arrival, stay, and departure to be submitted electronically through a single-entry point. As a signatory to the IMO’s FAL Convention, Canada has been bound under international law to implement a MSW since January 2024 but has failed to meet its obligation. 

Olli Soininen, Head of Finland’s Fintraffic programs, presented a comprehensive view of his country’s new Maritime Traffic Notification Service NEMO running this year. The service is a national “single window” for maritime traffic notifications and replaces Finland’s current Portnet service.

Mr. Soininen said the new system, based on the IMO compendium, was built over a three-year period in small, incremental steps in close cooperation with port operators and authorities, along with shipping companies, ship brokers, forwarders, shippers, transport companies and other stakeholders. 

He noted that the motivation for the system arose from Finland’s membership in the EU where harmonization with other proximate national systems was a paramount consideration. 

Other new E-NAV technologies had a west coast focus. Victoria-based Marine Labs co-presented with the BC Coast Pilots Authority on the benefits to navigating from data collected by MarineLabs sensor network. Sensors are installed around the Port of Prince Rupert and the Port of Vancouver using a buoy installation system. The sensors capture weather, wind, and wave data for coastal navigation and can forecast and produce trend analysis for enhanced navigational safety. 

DHI Seaport Pty Ltd. offered an insight into their work in the development of the Port of Vancouver’s Active Vessel Traffic Management System.  Simon Brandi Mortensen. Vice President, Ports and Terminals, explained how the system was designed first for the Port’s first narrows section of the Burrard Inlet, under the Lion’s Gate Bridge, in 2024, after modelling the Port’s Burrard Inlet at the second narrows bridge in 2023. Captain Shri Madiwal, Vice President of Operations at the Port of Vancouver noted the importance of the AVMTS particularly with the increased oil tanker traffic in the Burrard Inlet, now at 30 tankers a month, transporting Alberta crude oil from the recently expanded TMX pipeline terminal at the Port. 

Port of Halifax Vice President of Operations and Technology, Capt. Mike Davie, described his Port’s  PIER  project, standing for:  Port Innovation, Engagement and Research. Mr. Davie pointed out that the PIER model is unique in that it can demonstrate technology applications in an active harbour. “It can connect with other supply chain partners and the ecosystem allows us to slowly collaborate.” He said the Port of St John has also recently expressed an interest in joining the PIER project.

Impact of emerging technologies

Reflecting on the multitude of technology applications presented during the Workshop, a panel of international and national veteran mariners offered their views and responded to questions from the audience in what proved to be a sober and philosophical assessment of the rapid pace of such technologies as Artificial Intelligence, remote pilotage, and other emerging technologies impacting ship and port operations, as well as the recruitment, training and education of future mariners.

Capt. Simon Pelletier, President, International Maritime Pilots’ Association, advised that an overflow of information is often counterproductive. “Everything for safety is already on a ship. Yet so many new technologies can be confusing for mariners,” he said. 

Capt. Gary Wilson, Council Member, International Harbour Masters Association, observed that optimizing a ship’s port calls can be detrimental to the welfare of seafarers as far as port leave is critical to the seafarer’s well being. 

Capt. John Wilson, CEO of the Pacific Pilotage Authority, cautioned against the over-reliance on technology. “A degree of caution is necessary,” he said. 

Capt. Chris Hall felt that “technology for the sake of technology was a risk. There are a lot of shiny objects, and it’s easy to get distracted by those. If those shiny objects make their way into a high-risk environment like ours, that is a risk.” 

Capt. Alain Arseneault, Panel leader, and Executive Director of the National Centre of Expertise on Maritime Pilotage, recalled his fond memory when he went to sea, “was just being at sea, not technology.”

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Intro photo by Colin Laughlan of Chris Hall, President and CEO of the Shipping Federation of Canada.
  • Photo of Dr. Mathias Jonas, Secretary General of the International Hydrographic Organization by Colin Laughlan.
  • Photo of assembly of Workshop delegates by Julie Doro.
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