Question Period Note: Anchorages

Increased congestion and utilization of anchorages for vessels calling into Port of Vancouver

• Transport Canada (TC) recognizes the concerns being expressed by some communities about anchorage activities on the south coast of British Columbia.
• TC’s goal for the management of anchorages is to ensure commercial shipping is conducted safely for the benefit of all Canadians and managed efficiently, while seeking to minimize the impact to the marine environments and surrounding communities.
• TC, in partnership with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, the Nanaimo Port Authority, the Pacific Pilotage Authority, the Chamber of Shipping British Columbia and the Shipping Federation of Canada implemented an Interim Protocol to equitably manage and distribute vessels at anchor.
• Through the Interim Protocol, voluntary measures are in place to reduce noise and light pollution from vessels.

• Since 2014, southern B.C. has steadily experienced increased congestion and utilization of anchorages for vessels calling into Port of Vancouver.
• The Pacific Gateway forecast a more than 35% increase in trade tonnage from current levels by 2030. Analysis to date indicates that no single factor has caused the increase in demand, which is influenced by complex interactions including capacity at the Port of Vancouver, seasonal trade variances, commodity price fluctuations, contract practices by agents, transportation, weather and other factors.
• In 2017, the Anchorages Initiative was announced as part of the Oceans Protection Plan with Transport Canada as lead department. The key deliverable was the development of a new framework for the selection of new anchorage sites and the management of all commercial anchorages outside of port boundaries.
• However, as work planning for the Anchorages Initiative progressed, a need was identified to address stakeholder concerns in the short term. As a result, an “Interim Protocol for the Use of Southern British Columbia Anchorages” was implemented in February 2018 by Transport Canada. The Interim Protocol includes temporary and voluntary procedures in the Pacific Region to balance the use of anchorage locations outside of ports and mitigate disturbance to residents from light and noise from ships when at anchor. It was developed in partnership with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA), the Pacific Pilotage Authority and other industry stakeholders.
• Despite these efforts, public interest in certain B.C. anchorages has continued to be high, and the issue has been linked in recent months to the consultations on Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMX) and Roberts Bank Terminal 2 projects.
• In an effort to review and discuss the activities of the Interim Protocol, TC has established a working group and meets regularly. Working group members include representatives from the Chamber of Shipping, the VFPA, the Port of Nanaimo, the Pacific Pilotage Authority and the Shipping Federation. The VFPA supports the implementation of the Interim Protocol by assisting with the assignment of anchorages. If concerns about noise or light from a vessel are identified, Transport Canada informs the VFPA, which in turn contacts the ship’s agent.
• Under the Interim Protocol, partners have established mechanisms to monitor anchorage activities, and gather related data, as well as respond to community concerns. The current protocol expires in July 2020.

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