On the west coast of Canada, environmental concerns have prompted recent legislative attempts to ban or limit oil tanker in Canadian waters. The rising tide of popular sentiment is fueled by the belief that a tanker ban is the only way to prevent an oil spill from damaging the marine environment. Seldom included in the debate is any analysis of the consistency of Canada’s oil tanker policy.

Darryl Anderson and Joe Spears in the paper ‘Regulating Oil Tankers in Canadian Waters’ explore the specific policy commitments that govern deep-sea tanker shipping in Canada. It outlines some of the outcomes of the present safety and environmental framework that govern bulk oil shipments, and review the measures that are permitted under the law to deal with those concerned about tanker traffic. It piece concludes by considering how existing commitments affect Canada’s ability to ban oil tanker traffic and the consequences that the policy choices could have on Canadian energy security and international trade interests.  The paper was published in the Australian Journal of Maritime and Ocean Affairs (Vol.4, No.1, 2012).

 

Oil Tankers in Canadian Waters Research

Darryl Anderson and Joe Spears in the paper ‘The Maritime Transport of Canadian crude’ provide an analysis of the maritime transport of moving crude oil and explore the economic, social and environmental perspectives that are influencing the public debate. The paper examines the existing regulatory regime and shed insight into the risks and outcomes of the present regulatory framework. The authors will “stress test” the existing framework to determine if it is adequate to address the marine transport of bulk oil. The authors conclude with some thoughts on enhancing and adapting sustainability outcomes related to shipping and port policy. The paper was published in the Canadian Transportation Research Forum 47th Annual Proceedings.