Maritime Transportation And Shipping Talk

It has been all over the news these last few days. A ship had an oil spill in the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Looking at the international scene this spill is just a minor little thing. The amount of oil that leaked out into the Seaway was not a lot but as with any oil hitting water surface, it spreads very fast and makes the whole thing look far worse than it really is. When you look at the local scene in the river of Saint Lawrence this is a major spill. It was major enough to shut down the traffic in the Seaway for a few days. The risk was also there for local water filtration plants to be contaminated and that would have affected several local communities water supply. As the Saint Lawrence Seaway have an emergency response team already in place, the response time was fairly quick and the contamination was brought under control fairly quick. The traffic was back up and ship was moving again by 1600hrs local time today Thursday July, 2010.
Looking back at this event we should ask some question, not to put blame but to see if things like his can be avoided in the future.
As in many maritime disasters the first thing that is looked at is the people onboard the ship. Did they react properly and quickly enough? What was the cause of the puncture in the fuel tank? Was this a double hull ship and fuel tank? It the ship lost engine power, what was the reason? If it was engine failure, was this a problem that was recurring or was it simply a new and unforeseen problem? Could it have been avoided with better maintenance?
Understanding that the current owner has recently acquired this ship is there a history of mishaps with the ship that they should be aware of?
I hope that whatever enquiry the authorities have after this is over that measures will be taken for this not to be repeated anytime soon
You can read the latest about Navigation Resumes In Seaway’s South Shore Canal

If you intend to ship less than a full container load overseas a freight forwarding company can save you a lot of money. The advantages if you are using the service of a broker are that they will handle the shipment door to door. They will provide you with a drop off location for your small shipment or even come and pick it up. They will also follow up that your shipment is delivered at final destination.
If you have the time to ship your cargo or parcel(s) by container it will be your less costly way of getting it to your destination. Shipping smaller shipments that are less than a full 20 foot container can still be your most economical solution if you use the service of a LCL broker. What this broker does is simply collect multiple smaller shipments and packing them in a container that will be sent with a ship. The time involved is longer than if you ship by air but it is also a lot cheaper. Most containers are a week or so at sea before they reach the continent. Americas to Europe for most Shipping Lines are about 7-10 days crossing. Most major industrial centers have freight forwarding companies covering that area and getting a price and time quote would be the right thing to do. Ask 3 companies for a price quote before deciding

Reformar Inc enters into long-term charter agreement for the Research Vessel Coriolis II with Seaforth Geosurveys.
(Rimouski, Qc); March 15, 2010
Reformar

Reformar Inc. is pleased to announce that it has signed a long term exclusive charter agreement for the Research Vessel RV Coriolis II. This exclusive agreement covers the use of the Coriolis II for the private sector contract. The 50 m former Canadian Coast Guard vessel has been operated by Reformar Inc. of Rimouski, Quebec since 2002. While the ship’s primary function is for academic research and training, Seaforth will also utilize the vessel for its worldwide marine survey operations. The ship, which is certified for operations in both domestic and international waters, is currently being mobilized in Quebec City with various geophysical sensors including multibeam, sidescan sonar, subbottom profiler, magnetometer, USBL, multi-channel seismic data acquisition and processing systems, and geotechnical sampling equipment. The vessel will also be configured with a dynamic positioning system, providing excellent station keeping for geotechnical operations and as an ROV support platform. Based in Rimouski during the summer, it is expected that the Coriolis will be based in Halifax during the winter months to support Seaforth’s domestic and international initiatives. “We are very excited about the opportunity presented with this partnership with Reformar”, stated Seaforth President David Lombardi.
To read the whole press release CLICK HERE!