Ogden Point: End of Alaska Season 2014 (almost)

Been awhile since my last post as we were in Barbados with family so missed a few months of cruise ships porting to Ogden Point , Victoria Canada.

Only one week  left and the ms Zaandam on October 6 , 2014 will be the last ship in for the 2014 season , all will be quiet.

The ship will arrive from Hawaii on October 4, go to Vancouver , back here and off to San Diego.

– Tomorrow on September 29, 2014 the Star Princess will arrive from Ketchikan , Alaska and then on to San Francisco.

– On September 21, 2014 I went down to Ogden Point to see the Silversea ‘Silver Shadow’  and the Celebrity ‘Solstice ‘

Have added some pictures.

Silversea – Ogden Point Sept 2014

Ogden Point Sept 2014

Leaving Ogden Point , into channel

Ogden Point ,

We  had a good season with lots of passengers and no loud noise from the community of pollution , noise, horse poop , cars going through quiet streets.

The Victoria Harbour Authority has done a lot of work in listening to concerns, offering ways to provide options to go into town that lessen traffic and yet retain a vital business for the community.

Early 2015,  the North America Act for bunker fuel usage by cruise ships comes into effect,  as in ” more stringent 0.1 percent sulfur rule effective in 2015 ‘ .

Some estimates suggest a cost increase per week per passenger as in Alaska by $100+ , which in the broad scheme of things is less then tax you pay by Air for fuel usage and in this case , much cleaner , so less impact to environment, peoples whose health can be effected and other reasons.

http://www.cliaalaska.org/safetyenvironment/air/

Ogden Point (Victoria BC) Power Plugins for Cruise Ships scrapped

Cruise Terminal Victoria BC (cc RobBar)

Quote: “The idea of installing electrical plug-ins for cruise ships visiting Victoria has been scrapped now that stricter Canadian and U.S. environmental rules are coming in. – ”

http://www.timescolonist.com/business/power-plug-ins-for-visiting-cruise-ships-scrapped-1.1096739

Cruise lines  like Carnival have started to install scrubbers so no emissions of a toxic nature occur.
Yet our local James Bay community want to limit in the future ships in the harbour and restrict if a ship has not converted. Will others now demand that the Victoria Airport Authority restrict what planes can fly in and the number, Makes the mind boggle.
Then their representative says , coughed one night and it was due to ships emissions this month. Not considered it is pollen season around this area and cool nights can cause heat to be on in a closed house which can cause dry throats.

All I can say is , the Cruise Industry with the North American and UK authorities have worked hard to be at the state to use low sulphur fuels, some use gas turbines and some use electrical hook-ups in Vancouver , Seattle and Juneau .
see section 21.2 http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/tp-tp14202-advance-waste-treatment-2239.htm

Will Oil Tankers in BC Waters pose a problem for Cruise Ships.

It is interesting with the World’s attention on the current ecological disaster off the coast of Louisiana, what would this mean if we in British Columbia (BC) , Canada, were to allow offshore drilling including tanker traffic off the coast of BC.
The title contains a link to current Yahoo News on this subject. Image courtesy of Free Stock Photos.

Currently the Government of British Columbia in Canada offer a website to this subject.
http://www.empr.gov.bc.ca/OG/offshoreoilandgas/Pages/default.aspx

The Alaska Cruise season each year from May to September brings major business revenue and jobs in an industry that effects, ports, suppliers, trades and tourists. The major ports which benefit are Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Seward – Anchorage, including all the stops up and down the coast in Alaska, British Columbia and Washington.
These cruise ships travel thru a narrow point between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia. as they move between Washington, British Columbia and Alaska.
Quote: “Natural sheltered sea route along the U.S.-Canadian coast from Seattle, Wash., to Skagway, Alaska. Extending northwest for more than 1,000 mi (1,600 km), it comprises channels and straits between the mainland and islands (including Vancouver Island) that protect it from Pacific storms. It is the favoured route for coastal shipping to Alaska. Ports in British Columbia include Victoria, Vancouver, and Prince Rupert; those in Alaska include Ketchikan, Wrangell, and Juneau.”
http://www.answers.com/topic/inside-passage

There are many debates going on now about this body of water being a possible route for tankers or the outer-side of Vancouver Island on the Pacific Ocean. Will we be able to increase tourism revenue or want more monies from resources that could cause years of effect on our waterways. This looks to be a major point of discussion for all.