The Shipping Federation appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications on April 9th to question the rationale for Bill-48, the proposed tanker moratorium off the north coast of British Columbia.
In our comments, we directed attention to the strong safety record of tankers internationally and nationally, and noted that more than 280 million tonnes of oil and petroleum products move safely through the ports of Come by Chance, Port Hawkesbury, Saint John, Quebec and Montreal every year.
We urged the Committee to ensure that any discussion on prohibiting tanker operations off the north coast of British Columbia be based on comprehensive and detailed evidence regarding navigational safety – which in our opinion has been missing from the federal government's proposed blanket moratorium.
Bill C-48 also raises questions with respect to international law and the freedom of navigation, and we noted that such discussions should take place in the context of internationally recognized "Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas" and possible routing measures - including designated tanker shipping corridors - in accordance with UNCLOS, MARPOL and SOLAS.
Copies of the Federation’s prepared remarks to the Committee can be found at this link.