President's Message
Canadian Short Sea Shipping is entering a significant period of opportunity. Industry leadership focussed on innovation combined with a federal government that removed a significant import duty against new ships have sparked a renewal in sustainable short sea shipping in Canada. The arrival of the TRILLIUM and EQUINOX class of vessels, both distinguished by their significantly reduced environmental footprint, will accentuate the Canadian short sea shipping’s sustainable, efficient and competitive future. Despite these leading edge investments, our industry faces several barriers to growth, with labour shortages and stringent regulations at the top of the list.
Well-trained and experienced mariners are the cornerstone of a safe and efficient marine transportation system, and Canadian Short Sea Shipping has some of the world’s most competent professional mariners, accustomed to operating in the world’s most challenging conditions and sensitive environments. Like many Canadian industries, the demographics of our industry suggest that we are not getting any younger and that a large percentage of our most senior and trusted leaders will be in a position to retire within the next decade. Although there is recent success in the recruitment of a new generation of mariners, it will take time for this cohort to develop the requisite experience and certification; planning for succession will be a priority.
Our industry is also experiencing an unprecedented level of regulation. Many of these international initiatives were developed with the best of intentions, but when applied to domestic short sea shipping, they have unintended consequences that could limit the industry’s attempts to innovate and renew with new vessels. The marine industry in Canada and the United States has never faced a single regulatory and environmental challenge as complex as that associated with the regulation of ballast water discharges. It is unlikely that Canadian government officials, or industry for that matter, ever considered the impact to short sea shipping when the Ballast Water Convention was conceived over a decade ago, nor even when Canada ratified the Convention in 2010. The marine industry in Canada and the United States remains poised to develop a made-in-the-Great-Lakes solution to ballast water and other regulations, but it will require leadership and collaboration between industry, government at all levels and across borders, and the scientific community in order to develop sustainable outcomes.
Notwithstanding the challenges ahead of us, we have never been so engaged in finding solutions, and this can be witnessed in new shipboard equipment, modernisation of equipment in the St. Lawrence Seaway, and aggressive new commercial strategies in our nation’s ports. Innovation, leadership, and collaboration will be vital to our industry’s sustained prosperity. Canada must identify itself as a marine nation if it is to leverage the opportunity before it. The marine industry should strive to continue to increase its visibility with governments internationally, federally and provincially, and collaborate at all levels in order to ensure that governmental policies truly reflect the potential benefits from a vibrant marine environment and economy.
Canadian Short Sea Shipping is entering a significant period of opportunity. Industry leadership focussed on innovation combined with a federal government that removed a significant import duty against new ships have sparked a renewal in sustainable short sea shipping in Canada. The arrival of the TRILLIUM and EQUINOX class of vessels, both distinguished by their significantly reduced environmental footprint, will accentuate the Canadian short sea shipping’s sustainable, efficient and competitive future. Despite these leading edge investments, our industry faces several barriers to growth, with labour shortages and stringent regulations at the top of the list.
Well-trained and experienced mariners are the cornerstone of a safe and efficient marine transportation system, and Canadian Short Sea Shipping has some of the world’s most competent professional mariners, accustomed to operating in the world’s most challenging conditions and sensitive environments. Like many Canadian industries, the demographics of our industry suggest that we are not getting any younger and that a large percentage of our most senior and trusted leaders will be in a position to retire within the next decade. Although there is recent success in the recruitment of a new generation of mariners, it will take time for this cohort to develop the requisite experience and certification; planning for succession will be a priority.
Our industry is also experiencing an unprecedented level of regulation. Many of these international initiatives were developed with the best of intentions, but when applied to domestic short sea shipping, they have unintended consequences that could limit the industry’s attempts to innovate and renew with new vessels. The marine industry in Canada and the United States has never faced a single regulatory and environmental challenge as complex as that associated with the regulation of ballast water discharges. It is unlikely that Canadian government officials, or industry for that matter, ever considered the impact to short sea shipping when the Ballast Water Convention was conceived over a decade ago, nor even when Canada ratified the Convention in 2010. The marine industry in Canada and the United States remains poised to develop a made-in-the-Great-Lakes solution to ballast water and other regulations, but it will require leadership and collaboration between industry, government at all levels and across borders, and the scientific community in order to develop sustainable outcomes.
Notwithstanding the challenges ahead of us, we have never been so engaged in finding solutions, and this can be witnessed in new shipboard equipment, modernisation of equipment in the St. Lawrence Seaway, and aggressive new commercial strategies in our nation’s ports. Innovation, leadership, and collaboration will be vital to our industry’s sustained prosperity. Canada must identify itself as a marine nation if it is to leverage the opportunity before it. The marine industry should strive to continue to increase its visibility with governments internationally, federally and provincially, and collaborate at all levels in order to ensure that governmental policies truly reflect the potential benefits from a vibrant marine environment and economy.