Scientists hope to link lab bench with pharmacy shelves through Edmonton drug plant

The Canadian Press


EDMONTON — University researchers and drug developers in Edmonton are joining forces to create what they say will be Canada’s first facility that can take the latest scientific pharmaceutical insights from the lab through clinical trials to the marketplace.

The partnership, announced Monday, brings together a world-leading laboratory and an existing drug manufacturer to plug a hole in Canada’s drug supply system, said Andrew MacIsaac of Advanced Pharmaceutical Innovation, the not-for-profit corporation involved in the effort.

“It’s the first large-scale marrying of what API is doing and what researchers at a post-secondary institution are undertaking,” he said.

MacIsaac’s firm, which currently employs about 40 scientists at its Edmonton facility, is teaming up with the University of Alberta’s renowned Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology to form the Canadian Critical Drug Initiative.

“This was a good marriage for both,” said Lorne Tyrrell, institute co-director and the discoverer of the first oral treatment for hepatitis B.

Canada currently lacks the capacity to manufacture its own drug supply, a gap that became obvious when the federal government was trying to lock up supplies of COVID-19 vaccine. The federal government has since funded specific research and manufacturing facilities in Montreal, Winnipeg and Saskatoon.

But the Alberta effort would be unique in linking the lab bench and the drugstore shelf, as well as in the type and breadth of drugs it would help develop.

Michael Houghton, the institute’s other director and a Nobel laureate, said the initiative would focus on so-called “small-molecule” drugs — chemically synthesized drugs that make up the great majority of what’s in people’s medicine cabinets. Ibuprofen, for example, is a small-molecule drug.

“What we’re trying to do at the institute is develop novel vaccines, novel therapeutics and novel drug screening tools,” he said. “We have a pipeline which will fit very nicely with the API infrastructure.”

Academic labs do the early research, bringing a novel drug to a proof-of-concept stage in a lab, MacIsaac said.

The institute can recreate that work under conditions that meet regulatory standards, conduct further study on how the drug will behave in the body and how it should be formulated. It can then manufacture it for clinical trials.

The Canadian Critical Drug Initiative will bring both sides together, said MacIsaac. It will also improve the supply chain for already existing drugs such as propofol, which is commonly used to induce unconsciousness for procedures from surgeries to being put on a ventilator.

“It was quite often in short supply before COVID-19, then COVID-19 exacerbated that. Having a resilient supply chain for that drug is critical.”

MacIsaac’s company now manufactures drugs in quantities appropriate for clinical trials — a few thousand doses a month. Part of the aim of the new partnership is to ramp that up.

“We’ll be able to produce about 70 million doses of drugs a year, a wide variety from the security of supply basic medicines that are needed with the hospital setting to novel drugs that are coming out of institutes like Li Ka Shing,” he said.

That will take some expansion.

The initiative is looking to expand its facilities at the University of Alberta and the Alberta Research Park in Edmonton. A 40,000-square-foot manufacturing facility is also planned.

The whole project will cost about $169 million. Private investors, as well as the municipal and provincial governments, are on board and about half the money has been raised. A funding request has been sent to Ottawa.

MacIsaac said the initiative could be producing drugs within two years.

It’s an economic opportunity for a province looking to diversify, he said.

“It’ll generate hundreds of jobs in the short term and many, many more in the long term. We’ll be able to find a home for a lot of the talent we’ve grown in the oil and gas sector.”

The initiative could help create a cluster of firms to add to the hundreds of drug manufacturing jobs already in Edmonton, he said.

Edmonton scientists are already waiting to go ahead with clinical trials for vaccines against scourges, such as hepatitis C, or viruses that threaten transplant patients, said Houghton. A way to bring those breakthroughs to market is the missing piece of the puzzle.

“We have a future pipeline,” he said. “We’re going to need the Canadian Critical Drug Initiative infrastructure to finish and help us to manufacture these vaccines for clinical trials and to deliver these vaccines.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2021.

— Follow Bob Weber on Twitter at @row1960



Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

Northern Lights add eerie glow to Halloween following massive solar flare

Stargazers were treated, rather than tricked, to a beautiful display of the aurora borealis on Sunday night.


Monday 1 November 2021 UK

Image: Halloween this year was given an eerie tinge by the Northern Lights following a massive solar flare

A solar flare hit Earth on Halloween, treating stargazers to an eerie display of the Northern Lights.

As charged particles from the star collided with the planet's magnetosphere, they created a beautiful and spooky green and orange aurora.

Astronomers, photographers, and delighted amateurs captured dozens of pictures and videos of the show and shared them on social media, including pictures from Northumberland in England.

Andrew Douglas, who often shares pictures of the Farne Island off England's northeastern coast, took pictures of the Northern Lights as they danced near the horizon.

Bamburgh Castle and Grace Darling's grave light up by the Northern Lights. #Aurora #NorthernLights #Northumberland pic.twitter.com/md62tsdGDC— Andrew Douglas (@thefarnes) October 31, 2021

The flare - officially known as a coronal mass ejection (CME) - left the sun on Thursday and comes as we enter a period of increased solar activity.

Although it was an X1-class flare - the strongest there is - the CME "was much slower and waker than expected" according to the UK's Met Office.

Michael Charnick, an American meteorologist visiting Iceland, captured a Halloween picture using just his iPhone 13.

There are concerns that some flares could be so powerful they might interrupt electronic systems on the surface of the Earth.

Recently an alert was published by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warning the geomagnetic storm could cause power grid fluctuations with voltage alarms at higher latitudes, where the Earth is more exposed.

Thomas Klein, a freelance journalist currently trying to build a wooden cabin in Swedish Lapland, shared several more pictures of the lights appears almost directly overhead.

NOAA added that satellites may be impacted too and could exhibit "orientation irregularities" meaning ground control would have to redirect them, as well as anything in low-Earth orbit experiencing increased drag.

Comedian Paul Black, who recently performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, captured four pictures using an iPhone 12 Pro's timelapse feature.

The geomagnetic storm NOAA issued the warning about was only expected to reach category G2, which is moderately strong according to the agency.

In the end that storm and this X1-class flare did not cause major disruption, but such disruption has been caused in the past.


Space weather experts reference the Carrington Event, believed to be the largest solar storm ever recorded, which hit Earth in 1859.

The Carrington Event left an aurora visible across the sky, even in latitudes much closer to the equator, and was described in contemporary reports as even brighter than the light of a full moon.

It caused the failure of telegraph systems all across Europe and North America, and a similar storm today could cause trillions of dollars in damage globally.

Solar activity has been observed rising and falling naturally every 11 years, although not quite like clockwork, and astronomers believe we are now in the early years of a new busy period.

A new family of sunspots, discovered on the surface of our star last year, unleashed the biggest solar flare that scientists have seen since 2017.

'We're standing on an edge': Sudbury mother and daughter attending COP26 climate change conference

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This is the fourth COP meeting for Orlando, while it's the first for Mathur, now a well-known activist

Erik White · CBC News · Posted: Nov 01, 2021 

Mother and daughter Cathy Orlando and Sophia Mathur are both climate activists from Sudbury and are attending the COP26 conference in Glasgow. (Erik White/CBC )

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The much anticipated COP26 conference on climate change is underway in Glasgow, Scotland and among those working to find a solution to global warming is a 14-year-old from Sudbury.

Sophia Mathur has made national headlines by organizing Fridays for Future protests and has quickly become a well-known climate activist. 

"You really don't know what they're going to say, you really don't know what the outcome is going to be of this. You don't want it to be just words. I really hope that something comes out of this and we go on track to a livable future," says the Grade 9 student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School.

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"Personally, I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to have to do activism any more. It's not my job. It's politicians and it's adults' jobs."

One of the adults at the conference is Sophia's mother Cathy Orlando.

The program manager with Citizens Climate International, this is the fourth time Orlando has attended a COP meeting. 

The Conference of Parties (COP), as it's known, meets every year and is the global decision-making body set up in the early 1990s to implement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and subsequent climate agreements.

"Never did I imagine I would be attending a Conference of the Parties with my daughter."

"I want her to share what she needs to share. She's got something to say for sure. I don't know what it is," Orlando says with a laugh. 

Glasgow's historic downtown steeple now warns of a climate emergency heading into COP26. (Stephanie Jenzer/CBC)

Many are saying this conference could be the last chance to turn things around before the world becomes a very different place and Orlando says she feels that urgency going into the talks. 

"I mean, we're standing on an edge. This is a last chance COP. But nothing is black and white. And things will change. They have to. We can't do this to the atmosphere," she says. 

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"There's going to be disappointments and there's going to be happy moments."

Mathur says she's excited to hear what the politicians have to say and put pressure on those shying away from taking real action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

She says it's important for world leaders to hear from young people at COP26 which can have "more impact than another adult telling them that they want climate action."

Chipotle employees in New York are going on strike after expressing concerns over Halloween 'Boorito' promotion and poor working conditions

insider@insider.com (Bethany Biron) 

© Provided by Business Insider Chipotle employees in Houston, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Chipotle employees in New York City are striking on Sunday to protest working conditions and its annual Halloween promotion.

The effort comes after staffers expressed concern about the holiday event following a chaotic BOGO deal day in July.

The strike is also part of a larger effort among staffers statewide calling for recognition of New York's Fair Workweek law.

Chipotle employees in New York City are joining the "Striketober" movement and fighting for better work conditions by protesting the company's annual Halloween "Boorito" promotion event.

Staffers in the Bronx are slated to walk off the job on Sunday afternoon and participate in a rally to protest the "company putting profits before people," according to a press release shared by Local 32BJ, a branch of Service Employees International Union. The strike comes amid an influx organized national protest efforts among frustrated workers in recent months at companies including McDonalds, John Deere, Netflix, and American Airlines.

"Chipotle continues to put workers' livelihoods in danger by cutting hours haphazardly, overworking staff members, and failing to pay their workers their premiums, which workers receive for working clopenings and having their schedules changed abruptly," Local 32BJ wrote in the release. "Their actions have made it difficult for many workers to sustain themselves, let alone their families, on these salaries."

The Halloween day strike comes after several Chipotle staffers expressed concern around this year's promotion, in which burritos purchased online are discounted to $5 and in some cases free to customers using codes obtained by visiting virtual restaurants on the online video game platform Roblox.

The promotion - which in the past typically involved giving discounts to customers visiting the fast-food chain dressed in costume - has long attracted large crowds since it started in October 2000. But employees said they are especially wary this year after a "buy-one-get-one" deal in July left many stores without ingredients, understaffed, and with throngs of angry customers as the event descended into "pure chaos."

"My crew is pretty scared," a manager in Illinois told Insider's Mary Meisenzahl earlier this week. "There's a lot of new employees since turnover is so high, and our customers have been extremely rude and impatient with our short staffing. I'm worried that if the night goes poorly, we'll find ourselves with employees walking out."

© Provided by Business Insider John Deere workers on strike on October 15, 2021 in Davenport, Iowa. Scott Olson/Getty Images

While Chipotle announced in May that it would increase average hourly wages to $15 an hour, Local 32BJ notes in the press release that CEO Brian Niccol did not take a wage cut in 2020, despite doubling his pay from the year prior to $38 million. The organization added that it believes that the $1 million in free burritos given to Robox users should instead be used to support employees.

"Chipotle workers, who are fighting for dignity and respect on the job, for fair raises, just working conditions, believe that if Chipotle can afford this give away, they can afford to follow New York's Fair Workweek Law and pay their workers withheld premiums and just wages," the release states.

Chipotle did not immediately respond to Insider's request to comment on the strike.

In New York, the Sunday strike is also part of a larger effort among Chipotle employees statewide who calling for recognition of the Fair Workweek law, a policy passed in 2017 to prevent abusive practices and unfair scheduling within the fast-food industry.

On Wednesday, staffers at a Chipotle restaurant in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood also went on strike to protest claims of slashed hours that left many incapable of paying their bills.

"They have been subjected to things that are outside their job descriptions, who in the middle of the pandemic have been serving this community," New York Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa told NY1. "Chipotle is a corporation who has come into this community and has the audacity to mistreat their workers.

'A crisis for home care': droves of workers leave for hospitals, nursing homes

© Provided by The Canadian Press

TORONTO — Donna Marcaccio had been taking care of her sister, Marcia for years.

But when Marcia's condition deteriorated and she needed palliative care about a year ago, Marcaccio reached out for help from Ontario's home care system.


After waiting for a month, she found herself facing a revolving door of personal support workers, many of whom either arrived hours late or had no idea what to do. Then the last-minute cancellations started.

"I stopped it, it was just so stressful," Marcaccio said.

Nurses, personal support workers and therapists have left home care in droves during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We lost literally over 3,000 nurses and skilled therapists and personal support workers to other parts of the health-care system," said Sue VanderBent, the CEO of Home Care Ontario, which represents home-care providers in the province.

"And that is very bad news for Ontarians who are receiving home care because now our capacity is so depleted that people are just waiting at home for a home care nurse or therapist or PSW who isn't coming."

The organization achieved a 95-per-cent referral acceptance rate before the pandemic, meaning it could fulfil the vast majority of requests for home care. The current rate is 60 per cent.

"This is a crisis for home care," VanderBent said.

Home care workers left their jobs for better pay in hospitals and long-term care homes, she said.

About 900,000 Ontarians receive home care every year, she said, with 730,000 in the publicly-funded system. That means several hundred thousand people in Ontario are either receiving reduced home care services or no care at all, VanderBent said.

Dr. Samir Sinha, director of health policy research at the National Institute on Ageing, said the home care situation is dire. Wage parity can solve some of the problems, he said.

"A nurse working in an acute care hospital makes far more than a nurse working in a long-term care home who makes far more than a nurse working in home care," Sinha said.

"What we've really seen right now is a huge cannibalization of our home care workforce, especially when it comes to nursing."

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the home care system, he said.

Nurses left the industry early in the pandemic when assessment and testing centres popped up across the province. The drain continued when nurses were needed for mass vaccination clinics and later for contact tracing, he said.

And they were all paid a premium for those jobs.

"All of a sudden you have all these nursing jobs on the market to deal with the COVID response that pay far better than what a nurse working in a home care system was doing," Sinha said.

Both Sinha and VanderBent agree the problem is expected to get worse due to the looming, massive surgery backlog created by the pandemic.

Patients can often leave the hospital sooner after surgery if they have home care lined up, they said.

"When you don't have home care available, it means people end up waiting in hospital longer to be able to go home and it creates an entire system that becomes dysfunctional," Sinha said. "It's why we ended up having hallway medicine."

Ontario's former Liberal government had increased funding for home care so seniors could stay longer in their homes.

Sinha worked with the Liberals on the seniors' strategy. He said the money, an increase of five per cent year over year from 2012 to 2018 when the Progressive Conservatives formed government, helped create 30,000 more "virtual long-term care beds" where people received care at home rather than in nursing homes.

He said it costs more than $700 a day to treat a patient in hospital versus $200 a day for someone in long-term care and $103 for home care.

Sinha pointed to Denmark, a country that invested heavily in home care in the late 1980s, as a model to emulate.

Of the money allotted to long-term care, Denmark spends 64 per cent on home and community-based care, Sinha said. The remainder goes to nursing homes.

The results have been impressive, Sinha said. The country was able to avoid building new nursing homes for nearly 20 years, closed several thousand nursing home beds because they weren't needed and saved 12 per cent in overall long-term care expenditures on those 80 years and older.

There is growing demand for home care in Ontario.

In a recent survey of more than 1,000 people aged 55 and older commissioned by Home Care Ontario, 91 per cent said they'd prefer to remain at home if additional supports were available. Those numbers resemble previous polls by the National Institute on Aging where the vast majority of respondents 65 and older preferred home over long-term care.

"This is a rare opportunity when what the people want you to do is actually the cheapest thing for your government," Sinha said. "Why wouldn't the government do that? I'm left scratching my head."

Health Minister spokeswoman Alexandra Hilkene said the department pays out more than $3 billion annually for home care and has invested more than $100 million this year to support home care for patients with "high, complex-care needs."

She said the province is also working towards a home care "modernization strategy" that includes legislation that will allow for better "patient-centred" care.

Despite the extreme stress, Marcaccio said she's glad her sister lived with her until she died in the spring.

"I knew that in her declining well-being, she had the peace of mind and emotional security of being in a familiar place surrounded by people she knew," she said.

"But there needs to be a better way."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2021.

Liam Casey, The Canadian Press

N.B. government locks out 3,000 CUPE workers as strike enters Day 3

Isabelle Leger 

© Mrinali Anchan/CBC

 A CUPE strike in New Brunswick is in its third day. Workers in the province's schools, hospitals and ferry service are off the job.

The New Brunswick government on Sunday locked out all non-designated employees in CUPE locals 1253 and 2745, including custodians, bus drivers, school library assistants and administrative support, as well as a number of educational assistants, as workers continue to strike over wages.

Schools across the province will move to online learning as of Monday, and it will remain that way until the end of a strike by Canadian Union of Public Employees members that began Friday.

"I regret having to take this step, partly because of the hard work CUPE members have done for us throughout the pandemic ... because it confirms what we knew last week that we are entering a time of uncertainty," Education Minister Dominic Cardy said Sunday.

He said the decision to lock out the workers came because CUPE has proven to be "unpredictable" in its strike actions.

"CUPE has not provided us with accurate or up-to-date information about their strike plans as they affect the nearly 300 schools in our province," Cardy said.

He said the Department of Education was informed Friday morning about CUPE's intention to suspend school bus routes but was not informed of any other actions the union planned to take with the strike.

"On Friday morning it became very clear — as we saw people taking sick days and saying they weren't going to be at work — that we're actually going to see a broad impact on school operations inside the system," Cardy said.

Cardy said locking out these workers eliminates uncertainty for parents and students.

The lockout of 3,000 employees means schools cannot operate in-person classes, he said.

Cardy said one of the major concerns with keeping schools open during the strike is the uncertainty of how many educational assistants would continue to work. Only 45 per cent of educational assistants are designated as essential workers.

"If kids came to school with less than half the available EAs actually working, that would present an enormous challenge to the folks who are in the schools," he said.

"That wouldn't be acceptable or safe, in my view."

Designated educational assistants have been placed on leave without pay, because they don't have duties while students are learning from home.
Union concerned for workers being laid off

Theresa McAllister, the provincial president of CUPE 2745, said it's odd the government is choosing to lock out workers after they began striking.

But her biggest concern is for the designated workers who are being laid off as a result.

Referring to Cardy and New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, she said they've "taken the opportunity from those children that are going to have to do online learning and squashed all the support that they might have had, because he's laying off those education workers who were willing, able and capable to help them."

© Mrinali Anchan/CBC 

Health and ferry services in New Brunswick continue to be affected as CUPE members strike.

McAllister said she has heard from parents who will not have their children sign up for online learning on Monday in a show of support for the workers.

"It is picking up a lot of steam, and I thank them totally for their support," she said. "I will be one of those parents."

CUPE responded to the lockout announcement, calling the move an attempt "to divide CUPE and create chaos," according to a news release from the union's centralized bargaining team.

The notice said the action will prolong the withdrawal of services and that a fair deal is most likely when "united."

The lockout only incudes workers within the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

The CUPE strike involves 22,000 workers in 10 locals, including health care, education, transportation and agricultural sectors, as well as social workers, jail guards, court stenographers and staff at WorkSafeNB and New Brunswick community colleges.
Health services impacted

Meanwhile, the Horizon Health Network announced in a news release on Saturday that it initiated its patient care plan at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton; Oromocto Public Hospital; Hotel-Dieu of St. Joseph in Perth; Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville; and Miramichi Regional Hospital.

In-patient care and emergency services will not be impacted throughout the duration of the CUPE strike.

All elective and day surgeries have been cancelled, as well as all therapeutic services unless otherwise notified.

Patients should expect delays during the strike, and all visitation has been restricted.

COVID-19 assessment and vaccination clinics in Fredericton are closed. The assessment centres in Hartland and at Ropewalk Road are also closed.

The COVID-19 assessment centre remains open, but it's expected to experience delays in processing referrals for testing.

The Vitalité Health Network announced on Sunday that it, too, will need to reduce services for the duration of the strike.

While inpatient care and emergency departments will remain open, ambulatory care services will see reduced activities.

Oncology and hemodialysis services are still operating.

Some patients will be notified of postponed appointments, but they are asked to attend scheduled appointments as normal if not otherwise notified.

All visitations are prohibited at the Vitalité hospitals.

COVID-19 vaccine clinics offered by Vitalité are operating, but some rapid testing sites in Moncton, Campellton, Cocagne, Grand-Sault, Clair, Caraquet and Saint-Isidore will close Monday.

Ferry closures

© CBC River ferries in New Brunswick are not operating as a result of the CUPE strike.

River ferry services were suspended as of Saturday morning due to the strike.

"We understand the importance of the ferry system, especially in rural New Brunswick," Mark Taylor, a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation, told CBC News.

"The strike is [impacting] ferry services that New Brunswickers count on."

Taylor said ferry services are "working hard" to get operating again as soon as possible.

 

How Can Africa Get Ready for the Latest Generation of Container Ships?

Boxships at Durban (Transnet file image)

PUBLISHED OCT 27, 2021 11:20 PM BY DR. JUANITA MAREE

 

Over the past few years, a new generation of ultra-large container vessels has begun to sail the oceans. Container ships like the Madrid Maersk, COSCO Shipping Universe and OOCL Hong Kong can carry over 20,000 TEU of cargo. These giant vessels measure over 1,300 feet in length, with beams of between 160 and 190 feet and a draft of 52 feet.

Over the past 50 years, the capacity of container vessels has increased by around 1,500 percent, doubling over the past decade alone. The exponential growth of container vessels can be attributed to shipping lines' focus on economies of scale. The more containers they can load on a vessel, the greater the income generated by these vessels. Thus, larger vessels carrying more containers increase the profit per voyage for each vessel. The increase in capacity relates to significant changes in the length, depth, and beam of a ship. 

However, the extreme size of the new generation of container vessels is creating a new set of physical problems. For example, the Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal - and a large portion of global trade - for six days in March. Furthermore, draft restrictions (like those at the Panama Canal) limit where these ultra-large vessels can go. Seaports are not evolving at the same pace as shipping lines and container vessels; thus, not all ports are deep enough or well-equipped enough to accommodate the latest big ships.

Evolution of container ships

Containerized cargo trade started in the mid-1950s and has evolved into six overall waves of changes, each representing a new generation of containerised ships. Early container vessels were usually modified bulk vessels or tankers that could carry around 1,000 TEUs. As containerized cargo developed, the first cellular vessels were introduced in 1968, and these could carry stacked containers in racks (cells). By the 1980s, shipping lines grasped the opportunity of economies of scale and pushed for the construction of larger vessels, which gave birth to the “Panamax" generation. These vessels were designed to fit through the Panama Canal, and once this threshold was breached, ship sizes quickly increased, allowing for more carrying capacities.

In June 2016, the Panama Canal expanded, contributing to the New-Panamax, or Neo-Panamax (NPX) range of vessels. A further expansion on these vessels led to the Ultra Large Containership (ULCV) and the Megamax-24, which are larger than the limits of the Panama Canal. The latest vessels are near to the maximum dimensions that the Suez Canal can accommodate. 

New generation container vessels and the case of Africa

African countries' trade relies heavily on seaports and shipping, as most of their trade is sea-borne. In 2019, African ports represented close to seven percent of world maritime exports and about five percent of global maritime imports, according to UNCTAD.

For many African countries , it has been challenging to develop ports of entry and connected transport infrastructure that keeps up with the growth trend of containerized vessels. Many of Africa's ports are not deep or wide enough to handle such large vessels. And should the vessels be able to berth at African ports, the ports would still need the equipment to offload such large vessels.

Keeping this in mind, one should also consider whether the African market will have sufficient demand and supply of cargo to be accommodated by larger ships. Are there enough additional trade opportunities for imports and exports to make it worth the cost? The cost of deepening and widening the berths at ports of entry, the cost of purchasing additional loading cranes, and the need to upgrade infrastructure within the ports should be justified by the expected increase in volumes of cargo and income.

Furthermore, the overall capacity of domestic infrastructure should be considered. Does Africa have the infrastructure to facilitate such an influx of goods once ports are upgraded to accommodate these larger vessels? Hinterland connections must have the capacity to accommodate for increased volumes in terms of road and rail infrastructure.

More than ever, port performance has become a significant aspect in the context of the choice of a port by regional and international stakeholders. Importers or exporters may opt for the port that saves them time or money. For shipping lines, the longer a vessel stays in port, the more money is lost, which means that shipping lines tend to favor ports where their vessels are serviced as quickly as possible. This situation puts even more strain on African economies trying to secure international market share. According to UNCTAD, the average time container vessels spent at a port in 2018 was around 0.7 days. According to this analysis, all ten of the slowest nations for container vessel servicing are developing or least developed countries. In contrast, the economies with the fastest turnaround times are mostly advanced economies with large volumes (or small economies that handle low cargo volumes at each port call).

How will Africa get on board?

Certain African countries allow for significant foreign investments in port and hinterland infrastructure to accommodate increased volumes and perform on international standards. From terminal and depot developments to double-stack railway infrastructure innovations, foreign investors have gained market share in these sectors. However, this has left countries like Kenya and Djibouti - as with many other African countries - losing their sovereignty and critical economic resources. Governments should prioritize investments in port facilities and infrastructure to grow and perform as per international standards.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, digitalization has been recognized as the key solution to ensure business continuity. Unfortunately, a "readiness gap" in the maritime sector's automation and technology levels puts African countries at a disadvantage. Consequently, capacity-building in this area is required.

African countries will need to focus more on diversification to integrate into regional and global value chains. It means shifting resources to manufacturing opportunities and concentrating on value-added products. However, trade policy and regional integration initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) will not be enough for this to happen. Instead, targeted interventions by national, regional, and international players that align with sustainable development will bring changes to the African trading environment and, hopefully, its readiness to capitalize on larger containerized vessels.

 Dr. Juanita Maree is the CEO of the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF).

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

 

Op-Ed: Just How Serious is China About Climate Change?

For all the prospects and pledges of China’s green dream, China is presently a carbon nightmare.

The world's largest coal-fired powerplant, Tuoketuo Power Station (Inner Mongolia Tuoketuo Power Generation Company)

PUBLISHED OCT 31, 2021 2:30 PM BY THE LOWY INTERPRETER

 

{By Elliott Zaagman]

As the leaders of world’s largest carbon emitters meet in Glasgow in the coming days, it is still undetermined whether the single most influential individual of the group will show up. Despite pleas from his counterparts to attend in person, it currently appears that China’s President Xi Jinping intends to attend the COP26 summit virtually from Beijing.

While it is unclear as to what Xi has to gain from withholding his physical presence, or what could be a more pressing domestic matter, the current will-he-or-won’t-he limbo is a somewhat fitting representation of China’s deep and confusing ambivalence to the climate question, and its role in a potential low-carbon future.

One could be excused for wondering why it is that China has not been a much stronger advocate for global action to address climate change. Of the world’s major economic and military powers, China may have the most to lose from a potential climate catastrophe. It also may have the most to gain from a low-carbon future global economy.

The Party’s order-obsessed leaders are keenly aware of how their country’s climate has impacted a regime’s hold on power. China’s history is replete with instances of its major rivers flooding, spurring a series of events such as famine, rebellion, and in some cases, the fall of entire dynasties. As we begin to see the early effects of climate change, there are early indications that even China’s impressive infrastructure may struggle to handle what is to come.

In 2020, heavy rains brought about massive flooding along the Yangze River, forcing thousands to evacuate their homes and pushing the massive Three Gorges Dam to its capacity, prompting concerns that it would be breached or overflow, a scenario which would have had catastrophic consequences.

Over the longer term, sea level rise threatens to submerge much of both Shanghai and the Pearl River delta, China’s two largest economic and trade hubs. The glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau, which feed China’s major rivers, are also melting at a rapid pace, raising the prospect of crippling long-term water shortages.

Aside from the shared human challenge of avoiding climate doom, Chinese companies are uniquely well-positioned to thrive in a decarbonizing global economy. While needing to rely heavily on imports to meet its massive appetite for oil, China is dominant in nearly every step of the value chain for lithium-ion batteries, the key technology used for electric vehicles, electronic devices, and for storing the energy generated through many of the most popular forms of renewable energy.

Having failed to put up much competition with their European, Japanese, and American rivals in the market for internal combustion engines, Chinese automakers are now global leaders in EVs, filling two of the top five spots globally for all-electric vehicle sales in 2020. China’s rail network is lauded by climate activists and urban planners alike, and as countries around the world look to build less carbon-intensive transportation infrastructure, Chinese rolling stock manufacturers are getting plenty of new business. China is also dominant in the manufacturing of solar panels and other components of the solar power value chain, so dominant that some in Washington have reportedly argued to overlook accusations of forced labour in order to import Chinese solar panels.

For Xi, his declarations of cooperation on climate issues have been some of the few bright spots for him internationally, as China’s “wolf warrior” diplomacy has harmed its international standing. After the US and China failed to reach an agreement during 2009’s Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, the success of 2015’s Paris accord has been partly attributed to Xi’s willingness to reach a deal, as well as his more centralized degree of decision-making control, in contrast to the consensus-based model of his predecessors in Beijing.

Whether purely for show or with genuine intentions, Xi has spoken seriously about climate on the global stage. His pledge for China to reach carbon neutrality by 2060 at the 2020 UN General Assembly was met with robust praise, as was his commitment this year to cease coal power plant projects in the wide-reaching Belt and Road Initiative. Though issues of climate have historically been avoided in China’s domestic media, Xi seems to be slowly changing the messaging there as well.

Yet for all the prospects and pledges of China’s green dream, China is presently a carbon nightmare. Its emissions have surpassed that of the entire Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development members combined, and continue to grow. Much of the country’s economic activity revolves around its horribly wasteful construction and heavy industry sectors, which have behaved like a runaway freight train for much of the past decade, overleveraged and embarking on increasingly unproductive projects spurred on by the government’s lofty growth targets.

While Xi has pledged to stop building further coal plants abroad, China has been on a domestic coal binge. Nearly 60 per cent of its domestic power is generated by coal, and it continues to expand its capacity. Lofty ambitions for cleaner power are undercut by the incentives of the system that drove the country’s rise, a system that is deeply addicted to cheap coal power. Detoxing, if possible, will require taking on some of China’s most powerful and deeply entrenched political and economic institutions.

There is reason to believe that Xi is sincere about China’s climate pledges. Yet delivering on such commitments while simultaneously remaining in power and keeping the country’s economy afloat is a juggling act on top of a high-wire. The world may have no choice but to hope he succeeds.

Elliott Zaagman is a writer, speaker, and executive coach who focuses on how China and its organizations engage the world. He is a regular contributor to Tech in Asia, and his work can also be found in the Jamestown Foundation China Brief, SupChina and Technode, among others.

This article appears courtesy of The Lowy Interpreter and may be found in its original form here. 

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

 

Canadian Investors Acquire North America’s Largest Terminal Operator

Ports America is expanding tis terminal operatios in Baltimore (Ports America Chesapeake)

PUBLISHED SEP 29, 2021 4:19 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Canada’s largest private pension fund investment manager is acquiring North America’s largest marine terminal operator in a private transaction. The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, which has been a minority investor in Ports America since 2014, said the transaction would provide for continuity in the operations while underscoring its confidence in the strong business outlook for the operation.

The Canadian investment manager, which manages over $400 billion for 20 contributors and beneficiaries of the Canada Pension Plan holds a broad portfolio of public and equities, real estate, infrastructure, and fixed income. They are buying the remaining investments in Ports America from California=based investment manager Oaktree Capital Management. Oaktree had been an investor in Ports America for 12 years. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021.

"Ports America represents the opportunity to continue to invest in a high-quality operator that plays an important role in global trade, making the company a good fit for our long-term infrastructure investment strategy," said Scott Lawrence, Managing Director, Head of Infrastructure, CPP Investments. "Terminal operators play a crucial role as cargo demand and transportation requirements continue to grow in response to the rapid and dynamic changes in how individuals and businesses are buying and selling products."

Founded in 1921, Ports America today is the largest terminal operator in North America, with diversified operations across the country, including 70 locations in 33 ports on each of the United States' three coasts. The Company annually handles 13.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), including 10 million tons of general cargo, 2.5 million vehicles, and 1.7 million cruise ship passengers.

"At Ports America, our commitment and ability to provide our customers with excellent, safe service and long-term, strategic value informs everything that we do," said Mark Montgomery, Chief Executive Officer at Ports America. Commenting on the acquisition by CPP, he said "We share a long-term vision for Ports America and are excited to grow our capabilities and service offerings to position the company for another century of innovation, leadership, and success."

Ports America’s current operations encompass container, RoRo, breakbulk, military, and cruise ship operations. Recently, the company has been expanding its operations at the port of Baltimore, Maryland. Ports America Chesapeake is investing more than $110 million in marine terminal upgrades and will invest an additional $56 million in yard equipment, to support the ongoing growth of the Port of Baltimore and Seagirt Marine Terminal. Infrastructure enhancements to the terminal include four new container cranes and the upgrade of a second 50-foot berth, allowing Seagirt to handle two 14,000 TEU vessels simultaneously. In addition to technology advancements to the Terminal Operating System (TOS), improved weigh-in-motion truck scales, and advanced visibility tools, Ports America Chesapeake will also invest in new container handling equipment, including 15 hybrid-electric rubber-tired gantry cranes.  

 

Carnival Cruise Ship Crew Receives Award for Rescue at Sea

Launch from Carnival Ecstasy meets up with the yacht Balista to conduct a medevac, Nov. 17, 2020 (Carnival Cruise Lines)

PUBLISHED OCT 29, 2021 3:45 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Next week, the Association for Rescue at Sea (AFRAS) will honor civilians and coastguardsmen who went beyond the call of duty to save mariners in distress. This year's awardees include the crew of a Carnival cruise ship, who responded to a yacht's distress call and carried out a successful rescue. 

On November 17, 2020, the captain and crew of the cruise ship Carnival Ecstasy responded to a mayday while departing an anchorage at Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. A crewmember from the motor yacht Balista was injured and needed a medevac, and the cruise ship was in the best position to respond.

Under the direction of Capt. Domenico Calise, the crew carried out a nighttime transfer of the victim in rough seas, while keeping to proper COVID-19 safety protocols. The ship's medical team provided the victim with care overnight. He required further treatment, so Carnival Ecstasy headed north to meet up with a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, which evacuated him the next morning. 

Awards for this rescue and others will be given out to a select group of captains, crewmembers and individuals at the Association for Rescue at Sea (AFRAS) annual ceremony on Capitol Hill next Tuesday. 

In addition to the crew of the Carnival Ecstasy, AFRAS will recognize a U.S. Coast Guard servicemember, two Coast Guard Auxiliarists, and the captains and crews of two commercial ships. The other awardees include:

• Coast Guard Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Wallace C. Qual, who led a beach rescue team that responded to a vessel grounding at Yaquina Bay, Oregon. After the captain of the fishing vessel abandoned ship in heavy weather, Qual entered the water and fought heavy surf to save him and bring him back ashore.

• Coast Guard Auxiliarists Shelley and Gary Markle, who responded to a radio call for help while on a training mission on Lake Michigan, just off Chicago. The Markles took charge of a hectic scene in order to carry out the rescue of a missing swimmer, who was located underwater and brought back to the surface. Shelley performed CPR until fire and EMS personnel arrived on scene.

• The captains and crews of the merchant vessels Ariel and Horizon Reliance. After an aircraft ditched in the Pacific Ocean more than 1,000 miles from Oahu, Hawaii, they rescued the two survivors from a life raft in rough seas. The ships’ captains agreed to participate in the rescue after a request through the AMVER program.

Rep. Salud Carbajal - the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation - will host the ceremony at the Rayburn House Office Building. Senior maritime leaders will be in attendance, including the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Adm. Karl Schultz.

Last year's AFRAS ceremony was canceled due to COVID-19, and the heroes who would have been honored for rescues in calendar year 2019 will be recognized at this year’s ceremony as well.