May 30, 2019 – The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence shipping industry is calling for at least five new icebreakers to be part of the federal government’s recent announcement of $15.7 billion for Canadian Coast Guard fleet renewal.
Today, Chamber of Marine Commerce President Bruce Burrows will be in attendance as the Coast Guard dedicates the Captain Molly Kool into service at its homeport of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Captain Molly Kool was recently retrofitted to provide services along the East Coast. However, this asset along with two other acquired icebreakers currently being retrofitted will not be adding any extra capacity but take the place of other vessels that will be out of service for major repairs.
“We congratulate the Coast Guard on delivering an interim measure with the Captain Molly Kool and its two sister ships to prevent the breakdown of service. It’s important that these ships be part of the resource pool for Great Lakes-St. Lawrence shipping – which was plagued with ice problems in the Great Lakes this past spring and during the winter on the St. Lawrence River,” says Bruce Burrows. “However, we also need an urgent commitment that new ice-breaking vessels will be built within the next 5 to 10 years for our region as part of the recently announced program for Coast Guard fleet renewal.”
Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard crews worked tirelessly during the Great Lakes spring break-out, but were hampered by the age and condition of the fleets at their disposal. Two U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers were out of service in March and a Canadian icebreaker assigned to Lake Superior was only able to operate at 60 per cent of capability and was idled in April due to mechanical issues.
Ice build-ups in the St. Lawrence River during January also led to eight container ships being stuck at the Port of Montreal and 10 others at other Quebec ports.
“We need to preserve the international reputation of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence navigation system as being a reliable trade gateway that’s open for business,” says Burrows. “But it’s not just about dealing with service breakdowns due to the aging fleet – we need more overall capacity. Unpredictable weather events are becoming the new normal and we urge the government to recognize that we need additional ships for contingency purposes,” says Burrows.
In the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region, the cost to the Canadian economy of a Canadian vessel being delayed impacting cargo delivery is estimated at over $500,000/day.
Overall, ships transport more than 230 million metric tons of goods worth over $100 billion on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River waterway, generating more than $60 billion in economic activity and supporting 329,000 jobs in Canada and the U.S.
That economic contribution is only set to increase as ports and their customers invest in increasing the capacity of the waterway as well as looking at options like lengthening the navigation season of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
“Shipbuilding is a long process,” says Burrows. “We need to commit to building new icebreakers now to be prepared for the realities of climate change, and cargo growth that is already happening.”
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/marinecommerce/13340677893/in/album-72157642552205353/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/marinecommerce/39879651892/in/album-72157657049769546/
About the Chamber of Marine Commerce
The Chamber of Marine Commerce is a bi-national association that represents more than 130 marine industry stakeholders including major Canadian and American shippers, ports, terminals and marine service providers, as well as domestic and international ship owners. The Chamber advocates for safe, sustainable, harmonized and competitive policy and regulation that recognizes the marine transportation system’s significant advantages in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, Coastal and Arctic regions.
Media Contact
Julia Fields
Chamber of Marine Commerce
613-294-8515
The Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC) is a bi-national association that represents diverse marine industry stakeholders including major Canadian and American shippers, ports, terminals and marine service providers, as well as Canadian domestic and international ship owners. The Chamber advocates for safe, sustainable, harmonized and competitive policy and regulation that recognizes the marine transportation system's significant advantages in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, Coastal and Arctic regions.
Media Contact:
Jason Card
Chamber of Marine Commerce
jcard@cmc-ccm.com
(613) 447 5401