PORT OF WINDSOR FEATURE
WINDSOR MARINE NIGHT
By LEAH BEHRENS
June 28, 2010
The marine industry is North America’s best-kept secret but it can no longer afford to maintain a low profile. This was the message of the president and CEO of one of the largest fleet operators on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway during the 23rd annual Windsor Marine Night on May 6.
Allister Paterson of Seaway Marine Transport stressed the urgency of adapting to today’s environmental realities, and that a new public awareness campaign could provide a much-needed anchor as the industry weathers the storms of change.
“This industry has been very good at not changing,” Mr. Paterson said. “This environmental wave is not new, but I think there was a body of thought that said ‘Don’t worry, it will go away,’ and that the ships would be grandfathered. That’s not the society we live in right now. People are not prepared to forgive a ship that blows a big cloud of black smoke when it’s in the Seaway.”
Concerns over ‘dirty’ ships and invasive species such as zebra mussels and Asian carp have been making media headlines and riling environmental groups against the marine industry. Mr. Paterson points to this “new reality” as the driver behind a drastic New York ballast water legislation that recently passed, which he warns could theoretically spell the closure of the Seaway.
“These are not small challenges and these are not small threats, and we need to start to impact what’s happening,” he said. “We need to get our hand on the wheel or others will make these decisions for us – and not necessarily the right ones, like what we’ve seen in New York.”
Mr. Paterson introduced Marine Delivers as the vessel for change. This industry-sponsored public awareness campaign is aimed at bringing marine shipping and its economic benefits to the forefront, while at the same time mitigating negative information and fostering balanced industry regulations.
Mr. Paterson said the initiative will promote the marine industry as an important job generator in the Canadian and U.S. national economies. It will also tout the sustainability of marine shipping, highlighting low greenhouse gas emissions and congestion, as well as high fuel efficiency and an excellent safety record compared to land-based modes.
“The amount of cargo in one of those ships is (equivalent to) a convoy of trucks about 30 kilometres long,” Mr. Paterson illustrated. “People get that. They see it driving down the 401 coming from Toronto. It’s an amazing visual and we need to get that out to the people.”
The campaign will also advertise improvement initiatives within the industry, including the Green Marine partnership for environmental sustainability, the Great Ships program for solving problems with invasive species, and ongoing fleet renewal projects.
“We have to let people know that as an industry we are ready to change,” Mr. Paterson said. “We do have a lot of good things happening.”
Public awareness is just one facet of Marine Delivers. The $1.5-million budget raised by the carriers, ports and St. Lawrence Seaway management for this initiative will also be directed towards polling and advocacy. Two dedicated public relations representatives – one stationed in Ottawa, and another in Washington – have been hired to oversee the campaign for the next two years. To promote the industry’s perspective, they will be involved in pitching stories to the media, engaging in speaking events and editorial roundtables, as well as reaching out to unions, industries and non-governmental organizations.
Media monitoring will also be a priority. Industry-related articles will be marked and forwarded to industry followers to keep all involved aware of what is happening, what is being said, as well as the general collective tone of the reports.
Through Marine Delivers, legislative activity and decisions on both sides of the border will be monitored, with updates being sent throughout the industry to keep everyone involved on top of what is going within all levels of government.
The Marine Delivers website has been launched at www.marinedelivers.com as a comprehensive storehouse for industry information and tools, such as complete PowerPoint presentations. Mr. Paterson encouraged everyone to use the material for getting quick facts before an interview, as well as for writing speeches and preparing presentations.
“We’re all in the same boat and we need to get things going,” Mr. Paterson said. “This is not a magic pill. It will not happen overnight, but we in the marine industry provide a great service, we provide a lot of jobs, we provide a lot of economic backstopping for the heartland of both countries, and we are a sustainable solution. As an industry we need to get out and tell other people about these benefits. If we don’t do that then the future could be quite uncertain.”
David Cree, president and CEO of the Windsor Port Authority, believes Marine Delivers is a “critical initiative” coming at a “critical time” in the history of the Great Lakes. The local port authority is contributing $20,000 over the next two years towards the project to help get the industry’s story out to the public.
“We’re facing a lot of issues and we think we’ve got a great story to tell, though we probably haven’t been telling it as well as we could have been,” Mr. Cree said. “That’s really what this initiative is all about – getting information out to the general public so they can make informed decisions about the issues that are important to everybody in the Great Lakes region. We are very happy about Marine Delivers, and our board was quick to get behind this initiative.”