From the Bridge - Company of Master Mariners of Canada

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“From the Bridge” August 2007 Queen of Alberni Built: 1976, Vancouver Overall Length: 139.29 m (457’) Gross Tonnage: 5,863.22 Car Capacity: 292 Passenger & Crew Capacity: 1,200 Service Speed: 19.0 knots Horsepower: 12,000 The Queen of Alberni is a C-Class ship as are the Queen of Coquitlam, Queen of Cowichan, Queen of Oak Bay and the Queen of Surrey. The Queen of Alberni was originally built to handle overheight vehicles. In 1984, the ship was stretched and lifted, gaining an upper car deck for non-overheight vehicles, leading to a new vehicle capacity of 292. In 1999, the ship underwent another refit in Victoria. This recent extensive upgrade involved significant mechanical and safety improvements as well as new and improved passenger amenities. The upgrade, preparing the vessel for another 20 years of service, includes:- • New state-of-the-art marine evacuation system: Four Marine Evacuation Systems *** (MES) supplied by Liferaft Systems Australia (LSA) (www.liferaftsystems.com.au). These consist of a 20m long inclined slide with a ‘SOLAS B’ self-righting liferaft (SRL) attached and an additional 12 linked ‘SOLAS B’ SRL’s. The ship has three evacuation stations on each side of the top passenger deck, or sun deck. The combined capacity of these six stations is 1,200. Lifejackets are stored in large containers throughout the two passenger decks. • Structural fire protection upgrades • New emergency generator • Upgrades to hull and structure • Main shaft refurbishment • Annual machinery maintenance • New elevator • New heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems • Updated washrooms and a new coin operated shower (the shower was added after input from the trucking industry which utilizes this route frequently, moving goods between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland) • Expanded and remodelled gift shop • New food service facilities • New interior design and improved passenger seating areas The Queen of Alberni is the fifth of the C-Class vessels to undergo this major upgrade at Vancouver Shipyards. *** The new 20m MES will also be installed on the three new Super-C Class vessels, Coastal Renaissance, Coastal Inspiration and Coastal Celebration, which are being built for BC Ferries in Flensburg, Germany. LSA has recently supplied BC Ferry Services with the inclined slide type MES for the passenger ferry Queen of Nanaimo. Successful evacuation trials have become second nature to LSA with some impressive trials being recorded. The LSA Marine Evacuation System is the only approved MES in the world, which evacuates passengers directly from the vessel into a large capacity liferaft via an inflatable slide, without the use of a boarding platform of any kind. The MES can be deployed by one crewmember, with minimal training, to evacuate 100 passengers in less than 4 minutes. A recent deployment demonstration for the US Navy, on the modified Incat vessel, Joint Venture HSV-X1, proved the LSA MES to be highly effective and functional in any application, including the evacuation of military personnel in full combat uniform. __________________________________________________________________________________________ BC Ferries, a Corporate Member of the CMMC, will be hosting the Canadian Ferry Operators Association AGM and Conference in Victoria from September 11 th to 14 th . Captain Peter Turner will be attending. On Saturday September 15 th Peter will be at the Vancouver Division AGM. 4
“From the Bridge” August 2007 Annual Maritime Security Conference: Halifax June 14-16 2007 The theme of this Conference, organised by the Centre for Foreign Policy Studies, a Navy “think tank” based in Dalhousie University was the “The Maritime Role in National Response to Emergencies”. At the 2004 Conference, the Company of Master Mariners of Canada presented a paper entitled “O Canada, Who Stands on Guard for Thee” The paper criticized the Navy for being busy overseas with NATO, in the Gulf or at Norfolk with the U.S. Navy. It stated that, despite its name, the Canadian Coast Guard had neither the mandate nor the capability to guard Canada and the then recently formed Maritime Security branch of the Transport Canada had no one on its staff with ship and port experience. As for the Arctic we were weak on the sovereignty issue. It is interesting to note how the situation has changed since implementation of the Government’s National Security Policy of 2004, if not as a result of our paper. Now, the Navy has to defend our maritime boundaries, the Coast Guard has a support role in maritime security and this Government shows some interest in the Arctic. Concepts of Operation, Case Studies & Capabilities This conference dealt with a number of interesting case studies on how naval forces have been deployed to assist civil authorities deal with serious emergencies on land and in humanitarian situations. A speaker for the US Coast Guard, which has the lead role in Homeland Security, spoke of its support of other federal departments, its capability to respond in urban areas in the US as well as on coastal and inland waters. It was even involved in the Anthrax scare in 2001. The National Response Plan of the US embraces all kinds of emergencies, including nuclear attacks by terrorists. The Plan states “Who is in Charge” and clarifies the roles of involved agencies. The second paper of Day 1, by R/Adm McFadden, Commander Joint Task Force Atlantic, described Canada’s reaction to the disastrous effects on the southern USA of Hurricane Katrina in September 2005. The Government of Canada decided to make a humanitarian gesture to the people of Louisiana and surrounding areas and sent three warships (with then Cmdre McFadden as squadron commander), Fleet Diving Units (FDUs), an Army Engineers Unit, an expanded Navy medical team and a Canadian Coast Guard nav-aids vessel, to bring some order to the chaotic scene they found. The FDUs helped clear docks and waterways. The CCGS William Alexander helped re-open New Orleans by retrieving and repositioning buoys. Her heavy-lift derrick was also of good use to the Navy. This operation proved the capability and flexibility of our Navy and showed that the Coast Guard can play a significant role in support of the Navy. The theme of the next paper was “Naval Forces in the Humanitarian Role During Domestic Crises” and the speaker described how Navy personnel were deployed to assist civil authorities in such emergencies as the Fraser Valley floods of ’48 & ’72, the Manitoba flood of ’97, ice storm in Montreal in “98, BC forest fires in ’03, when Hurricane Juan hit Halifax in ’03 and the flooding in BC earlier this year. In such emergencies the Province will take the lead and provide resources. In the matter of public safety the Federal Government may deploy military forces to provide back-up services, to assist in law enforcement and generally to aid the civil power. Succour for Tsunami Survivors Another interesting paper on the theme of Emergency response described the Indian Navy’s humanitarian response to people in areas of southern India, Sri Lanka and the Andaman, Nicobar & Maldive Islands which were devastated by the tsunami following an earthquake near the western end of Sumatra in December 2004. The speaker, Cdr V Srivatsan, Indian Navy, gave an excellent account of an extremely well organised operation. Three naval supply ships were quickly converted to a new role as hospital ships. The Indian Navy deployed 19 ships, 9 helicopters and 3 fixed wing aircraft. Navy personnel provided medical, logistical and reconstruction services. It was “on the job training” as they had no previous experience of dealing with the aftermath of a tsunami or a rescue operation of such magnitude. Cdr Srivatsan concluded by mentioning the three significant words to describe their magnanimous efforts: initiative, improvisation & innovation. Evacuation from Lebanon In another paper, on Day 2 of the conference, Cdr Srivatsan described how the Indian Navy evacuated 2280 Indian civilians from Lebanon in August 2006 during the exchange of fire between the Israeli defence Force and the Hezbollah organisation. This was done at short notice by three Indian frigates which were in the Suez Canal homeward bound when they were ordered to proceed to Beirut and evacuate nationals. The Lebanese evacuation from the Canadian view-point was described by Mr Richard Belliveau, a retired Foreign Affairs diplomat who was sent by the Government to Cyprus to oversee the arrival of about 10,000 evacuees, place them in transit quarters and send them home on Air Canada charter flights. Canadian military personnel helping in this work wore tee shirts bearing the word SECURITY instead of wearing uniforms. This was an ad hoc operation that succeeded through hard work and tolerance. 5
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