Boating Safety in the Port of Vancouver

Jason Krott

Manager Marine Operations / OIC Harbour Patrol

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Chris Nilsson

Senior Harbour Patrol Officer

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Sept 28, 2024

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The Port of Vancouver

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is the federal agency responsible for the shared stewardship of the Port of Vancouver. Like all Canada Port Authorities, we are accountable to the federal minister of transport and operate pursuant to the Canada Marine Act with a mandate to enable Canada’s trade through the Port of Vancouver, while protecting the environment and considering local communities.

Statistics

• Canada’s largest port, and third largest in North America by tonnes of cargo.
• $547 million worth of export and import cargo everyday
• Trading approximately $200 billion in goods between 140 and 170 countries each year.
• Sustaining 115,300 jobs, $7 billion in wages, and $11.9 billion in GDP across Canada
• $1 of every $3 of Canada’s trade in goods outside of North America moves through the Port of Vancouver
• 150,380 total tonnage in 2023 including 31,815 of domestic cargo.
• Approximately 3,200 foreign vessel arrivals, 6,400 vessel moves.

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3 million people

• 16,000 hectares of water
• 1,000 hectares of land
• 350 km of shoreline

16 Municipalities

35 Coast Salish Indigenous Groups

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority Harbour Patrol

• 18 Harbour Patrol Officers with a combined 281 years of Patrol Experience
• 5 Patrol Vessels
• 2 Bases including a full maintenance facility
• Full jurisdiction coverage 365 days a year

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Why Shared Waterway Efforts Matter

• A Danger Foreseen is Half Avoided
• The Port of Vancouver is at the intersection between Canadian trade and recreation.
• We create and maintain a safe shared space
• Most Canadian boaters have limited exposure to traffic density and commercial activity like that seen in the Port.
• Recreational boaters are generally unaware of the unique practices and procedures around traffic control zones
• A passive single point of information such as the VFPA website is not adequate to get the word out.
• The pleasure craft operating card does not properly prepare boaters for the decisions they face in complex areas and situations.
• Rental boat traffic is high, and customers are not and cannot be sufficiently prepared to safely operate in traffic control zones.

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The Port Safe Program Components

• Traditional advertising and social media
• On water safety escorts and education
• Safety partner engagement and support
• Safety focused practices and procedures
• Speed limits in zones of concern
• Vessel of interest management
• Event permitting and monitoring

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Public Outreach

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2024 and 2025 Campaign

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45 bus shelters and billboards in proximity to clubs, marinas, boat ramps and beaches

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Running year round on Facebook and Instagram

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300 weather resistant posters destined for public docks, clubs and marinas on the Mainland and Vancouver Island.

Safe Boating Materials

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Marine Event Permits and Monitoring

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HCOL Media

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Marine Events on the Water

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Education and Outreach

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• Setting the standard as positive roll models for the boating community
• Organizing and participating in Safe boating “Blitz’s”
• Organizing public safe boating events such as this years boating season opener at Granville Island
• Partner agency safety escort training
• Dock walks & yacht club visits.

What we Teach

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What we Teach

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Safe Boating Blitzes

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Safety Escorts

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Traffic Deconfliction, a Birds Eye View

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Our Partners

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• Vancouver Police Marine Squad
• The Canadian Coastguard
• Royal Canadian Marine Search And Rescue
• Canadian Lifeboat Institute
• Transport Canada Office of Boating Safety
• Transport Canada Marine Safety and Security
• RCMP West Coast Marine and The Lower Mainland RCMP Detachments
• MCTS Victoria & Vancouver Harbour Air Traffic Control
• British Columbia Coast Pilots
• Boating BC
• Canadian Safe Boating Council

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24/7 Port Operations Centre: (604) 665-9086

harbour_master@portvancouver.com

www.portvancouver.com�

Safety Patrol Statistics

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Safety Patrol Statistics / Interactions

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Best of the Worst

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