A shipping safety centre has been established in Vancouver, Canada, to promote research into the highest standards for safe and responsible maritime transportation.
The Clear Seas Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping has received contributions of more than USD3 million each from the Canadian government and Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, said Richard Wiefelspuett, executive director of the centre.
With that funding, the centre has commissioned the Canadian Council of Academies to complete a risk assessment of shipping and plans to complete a socio-economic study of the benefits and risks of marine shipping as its second project, Wiefelspuett added.
Port Metro Vancouver and Kate Moran from University of Victoria developed the concept for the centre, which has been set up as an independent organisation governed by a board of directors where Moran is the chair.
Among its board members are Duncan Wilson, vice-president of corporate social responsibility at Port Metro Vancouver and Bud Streeter, president of Lloyd’s Register Canada and a former director of marine safety at Transport Canada.
The funding from the government and the energy industry, which are actively promoting increased energy exports from British Columbia ports, will put pressure on the centre to be transparent in its research, Wiefelspuett added. The centre will look at all aspects of marine shipping with special attention to risk assessments.
This post was sourced from IHS Maritime 360: View the original article here.
