Monday, October 27, 2014

Good Bye Shimushir - underway, escorted by Prince Rupert Port Authority AND Smit Clyde










These Prince Rupert Port Authority Rescue Vessels are supposed to protect our coastlines from Tanker distress?

Vessel Report from PRPA as of October 26, 2014

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Shimushir  Oct. 27, 2014 17:56pm
22:02 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) in your local time


Shimushir Oct. 28, 2014 12:01



Then again there's the loop de loop at the beginning, why do it in such tight quarters, without or without Smit Clyde

Upon closer inspection of the image above .....  the ferry route from Prince Rupert to Skidgate is called Yellowhead Highway # 16 .... shouldn't the ferry be FREE?

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Checkmate: Russian Naval Fleet land locked? 

Gallipoli
 Anonymous  October 27, 2014 at 10:09 AM


Did we mention that it's an LNG tanker?



Ramdane Abane has been disabled in the Dardanelles.
The incident occurred today in the Canakkale Strait around 9 am local time. The vessel was turning the Kilitbahir narrows, Dardanelles' narrowest point when it suffered an engine failure.
The 274-metre vessel is laden with 80,000 tonnes of LNG and was accompanied by three tugs during the incident. The cause of the blackout is still unknown. Having been assisted by the tugs, the captain of the LNG tanker was able to control his vessel.
Ramdane Abane (IMO number 7411961 and MMSI 605076080) was built in 1981 and is registered in Algeria. The deadweight of the vessel is 83,296 DWT.

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October 31, 2014 Update from Anonymous Comment

http://nwcoastenergynews.com/2014/10/23/6928/simushir-adrift-alaska-ready-bc-canada-not/

 Map shows where the Emergency Towing System is deployed across Alaska/. (Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation)

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Marine Traffic Trending up on BC coast; Environmental protection is where?

Can anyone explain why there hasn't been a 2008, or 2009, or 2010, or 2011, or 2012, or 2013 or even a 2014 'Environmental Trends in British Columbia Report'?  Was 2007 the ONLY one that has ever been done?
Page 34 Source: Environmental Trends in British Columbia 2007

Not exactly the clearest indication as to where the MV Simushir was plying it's trade from Everett, Washington to Russia (which ice-free port).  The image just shows the volume of marine traffic as of 2003.
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Update 2018-04-23
 via the Wayback Machine  West Coast Spill Response Study ....
  Page 16 of 106

British Columbia Ministry of Environment July 19, 2013  West Coast Spill Response Study Volume 2: Vessel Traffic Study

Why was the Russian freighter traveling so close to Haida Gwaii when it's destination was Russia? Red line the approximate routes.

The Green bar off of Haida Gwaii and Vancouver Islands - Tanker Exclusion Zone

The TEZ is just a line drawn on a map WITH the expectations (politically??) that surface vessels have the capabilities of leaving their havens of safety to rescue TANKERS who cross the line, maybe, if they knew where all the TANKERS were at any given time, eh


Was the Russian Freighter inspected by USA authorities before it left the port of Everett?

 Lloyds Registry
 Port state control is the inspection of foreign ships in national ports to verify that the condition of the ship and its equipment complies with the requirements of international conventions....

Is there a requirement for port authorities to check the Engineers log books?

On Page 3 of 106 of the Environment West Coast Spill Document from 2013:
.... This report is the first such extensive analysis of vessel traffic performed for this area. It compiles three different sources of Automatic Identification System (AIS) data for the area, including satellite AIS, and brings in information on barge movements (not included in AIS data) based on data from the Canadian Coast Guard and key informant interviews. With AIS data, we were able to examine vessel movements instead of just port calls, thereby including vessels moving through the area to or from US ports in Alaska and, more significantly, Washington.

The movement of vessels with AIS transponders was compiled for six passage lines that essentially frame the BC coast. Key information was then collected for each vessel to ensure accuracy and allow us to analyze the specific vessel type, size, age, flag state, and other information for more than 54,000 vessel tracks across those passage lines over the two-year period.

The vast majority of vessel transits (78%) occur in southern BC through the Strait of Juan de Fuca at the Neah Bay and Point Roberts passage lines. This percentage is somewhat shaped by the fact that there is a high percentage of overlap between these two lines. .......
Does the MV Shimushir have AIS capabilities?

ETA October 27, 2014  Shimushir's destination after being repaired at Prince Rupert is PROVIDENIYA

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/index/ships/range/shipname:Simushir

Why wasn't the Shared program of vessels transitioning through our combined waters being tracked by AIS

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Update: October 23, 2013
Vancouver Sun - Letter to the Editor
 JOHN O’BRIEN-BELL
........ Only a few weeks ago the ship, Simushir, was the subject of an inspection at a Chinese port. The inspection is reported to have found that the ship had serious engine and steering problems but the Simushir left port without attention to these problems. It is not known whether the inspection was routine or triggered by a Chinese concern for the vessel’s seaworthiness.

In any event, the freighter left without attention to the problems and crossed the Pacific to Everett, Wash. There is no evidence that repairs were made there. Finally the Simushir broke down in Canadian waters 16 kilometres off Haida Gwaii. Thanks to Canadian and U.S. rescue efforts, the ship was towed safely into Prince Rupert........  Source:  Russian ship had serious problems
Is China part of Lloyd's?

Lloyd's Register Asia  Based in Hong Kong, SAR of PR China, provides a full range of services in Asia.  Lloyd's Register North America, Inc.  Based in Houston, USA, provides a full range of services in the USA and Canada.
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Environment Minister Mary Polak and Energy Minister Bill Bennett and Minister of all things 'Obscurity Rich Coleman' haven't shown us is how much the category of Large Commercial Vessels in Northern BC is going up 2013 - 2032:

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Supervisors Kinder & Morgan:If your company is REALLY serious about Safety, WorkSafeBC regulations and posters are FREE

Dreadlocks - a hairstyle in which the hair is washed but not combed and twisted while wet into tight braids or ringlets hanging down on all sides. 
Two weeks in a row now, Two brochures from Kinder Morgan.

Last week:
Side One: "Our constant aim is to have a world-class Emergency Response Plan that's never used."
Side Two: "24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Kinder Morgan's goal is to ensure the safety of the public, our workers and the environment. ....."

... without mentioning the flood of black gold from Hastings down to Burrard Inlet.

This week, today:
Side One: "We've been loading tankers safely here for sixty years" - Senior Director, Marine Development"
Side Two:  "Safety is something we take seriously.  Everyone around here is a neighbour or a friend." - Millwright complete with pipe wrench and a hard hat atop of dreadlocks?????


DUH!!!

Looks like the worker is wearing ear plugs under the Dreadlocks, not the same caliber as EAR MUFFS



Dreadlocks - Images

Dreadlocks Hardhats - Images

WorkSafeBC Dreadlocks - Hazard Alerts


In the five years between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2010, 350 workers were injured when their clothing, gloves, jewellery, or hair was caught by moving equipment or machinery parts. Fifty-six of these workers received fractures and another 67 of them had to have their fingers or limbs amputated. Here are some examples of the serious injuries that can happen:
  • A worker had her hair caught in a single-spindle automatic screw machine and suffered serious upper body injuries.

8.7 Instruction The employer must ensure that a worker who wears personal protective equipment is adequately instructed in the correct use, limitations and assigned maintenance duties for the equipment to be used.
8.8 Supervisor's responsibilities The supervisor must ensure that appropriate personal protective equipment is (a) available to workers, (b) properly worn when required, and (c) properly cleaned, inspected, maintained and stored.


8.10 Personal clothing and accessories
(1) The personal clothing of a worker must be of a type and in a condition which will not expose the worker to any unnecessary or avoidable hazards.

(2) If there is a danger of contact with moving parts of machinery or with electrically energized equipment, or if the work process presents similar hazards

(a) the clothing of the worker must fit closely about the body,

(b) dangling neckwear, bracelets, wristwatches, rings or similar articles must not be worn, except for medical alert bracelets which may be worn with transparent bands that hold the bracelets snugly to the skin, and

 (c) cranial and facial hair must be confined, or worn at a length which will prevent it from being snagged or caught in the work process.

Post Script: Kinder Morgan used Canada Post Snail Mail to deliver the brochure then they encourage the public to use Twitter to send the company feedbacks. How many characters, including spaces are allowed in Twitter?

Post Post Script:  Christy Clark's Work BC advertisement:

Hair must be tied up in a bun... long strands can be caught up in the drill bit.

Short Sleeves are illegal as well because of cut metal coming off of the drill bit.

Improper fit of gloves, hazardous.

No ear protection from drill biting into steel?

Gloved hand at the bottom of the downward pressure?  Safer to pull down than push away.
Looking for a job as a Millwright?  Page Not Found


Tuesday, October 14, 2014

What happened to Kelowna's KLO's Heritage 577 acres of ALR property? Developed into high rise towers!

On our many trips to Kelowna we've always taken it for granted that their 'KLO Road' sign was an acronym for ..... Kelowna Lake ..... Orchard??????.    Almost right on two out of four, not including 'Road'.

The answer is quite interesting when looking-back to the early 1900's where forward-looking community 'councils' saw the need to hold onto farmland long term for locally grown food.   Today's City Councils appears to be working hand in hand with developers and provincial politicians to bury prime Agriculture Land under highrise buildings and parking lots and at the same time, fine tune family home footprints into sprawling monster homes.   WARNING:  Drought in California Food prices to RISE, and Kelownians?? still turn a blind eye.

The answer? Council has gone for Higher property taxes through densification versus low taxation via ALR properties, so far.
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The meaning of:
KLO

In May, 1904, the Kelowna Land and Orchard Company purchased 6700 acres southeast of Kelowna for subdivision.  The company reserved 577 acres for its own agricultural operation.  The first fruit trees were planted in 1905 and by 1912 the orchard covered 200 acres.  - Kelowna - Self Guided Tours  1860 - 2007

Municipalities in British Columbia have been encouraged to keep track, hold onto, claw back their Heritage upbringing through the recognition of green spaces, street names and Buildings.  Another way would be to provide documentation (maps) showing the lay of the land back then, survey pins (GPS geocache) of exactly where the outer limits of the 6700 acres.  Is it either side of the KLO road?  More fun would be to discover Where the highly coveted 577 acres that were once reserved by the KLO Company?    Already trashed..... to make way for Condos?

The Long Green Line - hypothetical

There is a Heritage registry Website, which includes the Kelowna Land and Orchard Company Manager's Residence, sitting high upon the brow of the hill overlooking Okanagan Lake, and a logical explanation to the history of a three road intersection, complete with an original, antiquated, gas station with the massive in swinging Doors.



What is even more interesting is the Heritage site list of these other buildings: 

Monday, October 6, 2014

Squabbling land grabbing CPR 2014. 1893 Telegrams ... Arbutus .... was the secrecy of the Crown and others compromised?


Page 1 of 2
February 26, 1893 to April 18, 1893

We started to read this 1893 Census Telegram document in July and with the weather being so hot we put it aside for a rainy day.

It's not raining today but we took another look at the 'Telegram' because last week Vancouver City announced that it was going back to Court to settle the CPR Arbutus Corridor fiasco once and for all.

From our perspective of reading the 'Telegram' there appears to be an association, a link to be made that conversations between Government officials and insiders and corporations who were supposedly 'building' Canada from the ground up, were being 'overheard' by a third party, the railway, using 50 year old technology created in 1836, whereby every telegram that was sent or received, came across the counters of the CPR ... holding onto the juiciest parts???? for future references.


The volumes of telegrams must have been boring stuff to keep track of, not just the Census details, but also mining, fishing, staking property claims, mineral reports, HBC forays into the wilds of BC, Vancouver Three Greenhorns activities, acres of land purchased for a song (Arbutus Corridor) and all done with the magical sound of  'Dot Dash Dash Dot Dot Dash .....'

Morse Code Translator, complete with sound, converts the written words of the Hon. J. H. Turner to J. Lowe, Deputy Minister Agriculture, Ottawa: February 26th, 1893:
 
 Please Wire Total Indians on Mainland, B.C.  Also total Indians on Vancouver Island

 .--. .-.. . .- ... . / .-- .. .-. . / - --- - .- .-.. / .. -. -.. .. .- -. ... / --- -. / -- .- .. -. .-.. .- -. -.. --..-- / -... .-.-.- -.-. .-.-.- / .- .-.. ... --- / - --- - .- .-.. / .. -. -.. .. .- -. ... / --- -. / ...- .- -. -.-. --- ..- ...- . .-. / .. ... .-.. .- -. -..

Reply:

Total Indians on Mainland, 29,460.  On Vancouver Island, 5,742.

 - --- - .- .-.. / .. -. -.. .. .- -. ... / --- -. / -- .- .. -. .-.. .- -. -.. --..-- / ..--- ----. --..-- ....- -.... ----- .-.-.- / --- -. / ...- .- -. -.-. --- ..- ...- . .-. / .. ... .-.. .- -. -.. --..-- / ..... --..-- --... ....- ..--- .-.-.-  

Wikipedia on Morse Code

 Timeline of historical events in British Columbia while Telegrams were making the rounds within :
 18xx
1832 A.C. Anderson of the HBC arrives at the Columbia River
1833 Fort McLoughlin established in 1833 in Lama Passage, it was later abandoned in 1843
1834 James Douglas becomes Chief Trader of the HBC
1835 Coal deposit at Fort Rupert publicized

1836 HBC Chaplain and missionary Reverend Herbert Beaven arrives at Fort Vancouver
1836 Small pox epidemic in northern BC and southern Alaskan coast (to 1838)
18xx

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Backgrounder to the first time that Vancouver City approached the bench....
The Chief Justice —   Introduction  Arbutus Corridor

Over a century ago, in 1886, the provincial Crown granted the Canadian Pacific Railway Company (“CPR”) a corridor of land for the construction of a railway line from False Creek, in the City of Vancouver (“City”), south to Steveston, on Lulu Island (named after Miss Lulu Sweet, a young actress in the first theatrical company to visit British Columbia).  It is this corridor of land, now known as the “Arbutus Corridor”, that lies at the heart of this appeal.

In 1902, a railway line was built on the corridor.  As the century advanced, traffic declined.  From time to time, there was talk of using the corridor for an urban transit line, but nothing came of it and, ultimately, the line was placed elsewhere.  In 1999, CPR formally began the process of discontinuing rail operations on the corridor under the Canada Transportation Act, S.C. 1996, c. 10 . SNIP

Were there Privacy regulations that prevented CPR from 'listening in' on the contents of telegrams between governments and companies?  Did CPR shred the information as soon as it was sent/received; or did the CPR keep the scraps of paper for audit purposes, making sure that the right charges for service was done;  or did they hang on to the important tidbits when it came to 'negotiating' for the Arbutus Corridor in 1886?

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Must be pretty tough on CPR having all their discarded 'heritage' property, waiting for development, with no means to tweak their uses for public use.

Like their Telegraphists Field Office, situated within Yoho National Park, west of the double Spiral Tunnels, staging grounds for the rail yards, is just waiting for a cycling/cross country outfitting camp to be developed....

Heritage!!!! FOR SALE by CPR, the catch is they want it moved off their Right of Way property

Yoho Telegraphists Workshop






Cycling aspirations? Yoho Pass, Spiral Tunnels, Emerald Lake, Lake O'Hara all within a day's ride, Return


Rolling Stock Cycling????????????