It’s expected restrictions will soon be placed on the amount of time cargo ships can remain at anchor in the Salish Sea waiting their turn to anchor at Vancouver’s port.
Alistair MacGregor, MP for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, has announced amendments that have been made to Bill C-33: the Strengthening the Port System and Railway Safety in Canada Act, that will require vessels to be directed out of the area if they have been anchored there for longer than 14 days.
It’s one of the most notable of the amendments to Bill C-33 that the NDP had been advocating for that the multi-party Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities has recently agreed to.
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However, when the time limits on the anchorages will be implemented depends on how fast it can be brought before Parliament for a vote, and a statement from the NDP said that may not happen until after the upcoming holiday break.
Currently, there is no time limit on how long freighters can be anchored, with some spending more than a month parked in the waters surrounding the southern Gulf Islands and the east coast of Vancouver Island.
“I am very pleased to see the government finally recognize the harmful impact that these vessels are having on our coastal communities and delicate marine ecosystems by supporting the NDP,” said MacGregor.
“While the recently passed amendments won’t alleviate this problem altogether, the 14-day limit will provide much needed relief to coastal communities and further pressure the Vancouver Port Authority to implement a modern vessel arrival system.”
There are 33 commercial vessel anchorages located throughout the southern Gulf Islands, including six in operation in Cowichan Bay and six near Ladysmith and Saltair harbours.
Repeated calls have been made by local governments, MPs, community groups and First Nations about protecting clam beds, prawns, oysters and endangered species from the environmental impact of the anchored vessels.
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As well as concerns about the impacts to the marine environment of parking these large ships in the area, there are also concerns about the noise and light pollution they create.
It’s become a long-standing issue particularly for residents of Saltair, Chemainus, Thetis and Penelakut Islands, other Gulf Islands, Cowichan Bay, Ladysmith and Nanaimo.
In 2020, MacGregor introduced a private members’ bill that aimed to prohibit large freighters from anchoring in the waters to be designated as a future National Marine Conservation Area, and which have been recognized by the federal government as worth protecting as a part of this process.
Hillary Abbott, the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s director for Cowichan Bay, said, subject to learning more about the new 14-day time limit on anchoring cargo ships, he thinks it’s a step in the right direction.
He said problems with pollution and noise from the anchored ships, and the dragging of anchors on the sensitive sea floor, have been an ongoing issue in the area for a long time.
“I understand the Vancouver Port Authority has challenges moving ships around, but is seems to have become unmanageable and those ships shouldn’t be anchored off our shores for so long waiting to get into port,” Abbott said.
“When knocking on doors in Cowichan Bay, people, particularly those who live on the ocean front, have been telling me they are very concerned about the ships anchoring near the community, so I’m encouraged about what I’m hearing about the time limits so far.”