Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation

Introduction

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) established the Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program to develop a better understanding of the impact of shipping activities on at-risk whales. A focus of the program is the Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) that are listed as endangered under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. Research indicates that underwater noise from vessels interferes with the SRKWs’ ability to hunt for salmon and affects the whales’ ability to navigate and communicate.

 

VFPA conducted a voluntary vessel slowdown trial (Trial) to 11 knots through the water in Haro Strait between August 7th and October 6th of 2017 to improve the understanding of the relationship between slower vessel speeds, underwater noise levels and the noise effects on SRKWs. The slowdown adds 30 to 60 minutes per vessel to the one-way sailing time.

 

VFPA retained Seaport Consultants Canada Inc. (Seaport) in association with Colledge Transportation Consulting Inc. (CTC) to estimate the financial impact of the slowdown on commercial shipping. In Phase 1 of the study, Seaport focussed on the direct cost impact of the trial on shipping. In Phase 1, CTC applied a Multiple Account Evaluation (MAE) framework to assess the economic, environmental and cultural analysis of the Trial.

Phase 1

The ship database for Phase 1 was 898 ships from a similar period in 2015. Normal speeds in Haro Strait range from about 14 kn for bulk carriers to 18 kn for container ships.

 

The cost evaluation considered pilotage costs for all vessel types. In most cases, the impact was wither zero (no change in pilot bridge time) or one additional hour of bridge time.

 

Fuel costs were also evaluated for all vessel types. The fuel cost impact depended on ship type:

  • For all ships, the slowdown in Haro Strait reduced fuel cost because of lower fuel consumption at the slower speed.

  • In the case of bulk carriers, the value of ships’ time was estimated at prevailing time charter rates and total costs involved a trade-off between extra pilotage and ship time costs and the lower cost of fuel.

  • Container and cruise ships, however, must maintain schedules and the cost of ship time is fixed. In these cases, the measure of the cost of the slowdown is the cost of fuel required to make up for time lost in Haro Strait by faster steaming elsewhere to maintain schedules.

The costs of fuel were international prices for high-sulphur bunker fuel for ship movements in international waters and ultra-low-sulphur marine gasoil for ship movements in waters within the 200-nautical mile (NM) limits of the North American emission control areas (ECA). The maximum allowable sulphur content of ship fuel for main and auxiliary engines within the ECA is 0.10%. Essentially all ships operating within the ECA consume ultra-low-sulphur marine gasoil; only a few cruise ships have scrubbers for sulphur dioxide removal from exhaust gases.

 

Fuel consumption was estimated in two stages:

  • A model to normalize fuel consumption to the existing speeds in Haro Strait for the ships in the database. For example, the fuel consumptions for container ships were for vessels with design speeds of 18 kn to 24 kn. These were normalized to 18 kn with a model that related fuel consumption to ship design speed and size.

  • Another model was used to estimate fuel consumption at 11 kn. The norm in the shipping industry is to apply a cubic power relationship for fuel consumption as a function of ship speed: if the speed of a ship doubles, fuel consumption increases eightfold. A more complete approach was chosen to calculate variation consumption with speed by incorporating the hydrodynamic properties of ships into the estimates. This model followed the work of a naval architect who devised formulae for ship owners to use to choose the best speeds for their ships at various fuel price levels.

The table summarizes the estimated costs by cost item and ship type. The chart summarizes the estimates of total costs by component. The total cost is about $500,000 with ship makeup fuel, dominantly that of container ships, the largest component.

Phase 2

The findings of the MAE were:

  • The Trial provides an important opportunity to inform federal policy and related future conservation approaches with science-based evidence regarding the SRKW.

  • While the costs of the Trial to the shipping industry are modest, they do add to those of a competitive industry and may affect the Port’s market share.

  • The cost impact to vessels Trial with varies by vessel type as above.

  • Several port-related costs could be affected by the Trial such as longshore labour determined largely by the ability of a ship to arrive within its designated berth window.

  • The short term of the Trial should not have a material impact on Port trade. A more permanent or seasonal slowdown could have a greater potential adverse impact on trade.

  • SRKW are of cultural importance to coastal Aboriginal peoples and the Trial provides an opportunity to demonstrate ways and means to protects the species. The Trial is an opportunity to raise awareness of the cultural significance of SRKW to Aboriginal peoples and the purpose and importance of reducing threats such as underwater vessel noise.

  • The Trial will contribute to the protection of Critical Habitat by gathering evidence regarding the impacts of noise from commercial vessel-related activities on at-risk whales.

  • Container ships and bulk carriers comprise more than 80% of the transits in Haro Strait and contribute more than 50% of the overall noise. The vessel slowdown is expected to reduce sound intensity by 78% and 40% respectively for these types of vessel.

  • A vessel slowdown in the broader Salish Sea, if applied only to Canadian waters, would create a significant competitive disadvantage for the Port of Vancouver relative to competing West Coast ports.