There's going to be a noticeable difference very soon when you prepare to board a BC Ferry in the province. Owing to the state of the world today and with an eye back to 9-11 and other high profile sercurity issues over the years, BC Ferries is looking to change a few things about your Ferry experience.
The CBC BC website has details from Canadian Press of what BC Ferries has planned in order to be more security conscious and enhance the present security situation on the fleets vessels and terminals.
More cameras, increased fencing and random passenger screenings all are part of the changes to the ways that BC Ferries operates in the changing times. It may require a change of attitude to the passenger as well, gone no doubt are the days of dashing down to the Ferry terminal to scramble onboard a vessel just in the nick of time.
Instead preparation and patience may become new buzzwords in the Ferry line up!
BC Ferries plans to boost security
Last Updated: Tuesday, April 3, 2007 9:09 PM PT
The Canadian Press
BC Ferries will beef up security to meet Transport Canada requirements, but will stop short of airport-style measures that would slow down travel, the company's president says.
"What's going to happen is there'll be continual upgrades to the security system," David Hahn said Tuesday, adding all ferry systems in Canada will be affected by guidelines to be released in the fall.
"If it's appropriate, we will move to more aggressive things like screening, but I don't think there's any master plan to screen every passenger," Hahn said.
He said there may be random security checks of some people, "not any kind of profiling."
Hahn said BC Ferries will continue to operate with the least amount of intrusion possible.
His comments contradict those made earlier Tuesday by Manuel Achadinha, vice-president of terminal operations for the fleet.
"There will be times, for example, if security incidents increase, it'll be like the airports," Achadinha said. "It might take you an hour to get through."
BC Ferries has slowly increased security by adding more cameras, providing employees with identification badges, installing more fencing around terminals and restricting access on some areas of the fleet.
Hahn said the new security measures have nothing to do with the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, but have ties to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorism attacks in the United States, the commuter train bombing in Madrid in 2004 and London's subway bombing in 2005.
"I don't think people should be overly concerned that there's going to be this massive slowdown in transit times," he said.
"The only time it would get difficult to travel is when it should be difficult to travel, which is if there's some kind of extraordinary event and people would expect that."
Union supports security initiative
An official at the BC Ferry and Marine Workers' Union in Nanaimo said the union is aware of the security measures being considered and generally supports the initiative.
"They are keeping us in the loop and that's where we like to be. We're all on the same side on this issue," said the union official, who did not want to be identified.
Canadian security expert Michel Juneau-Katsuya said screening ferry passengers and vehicles can be done but it presents complications.
"People have mixed feelings about it because of the sheer technicality of having to deal with volume," he said from Ottawa.
Explosive materials
Potentially explosive materials such as gasoline and industrial chemicals that airport sniffer machines detect can be carried on ferries legitimately, said Juneau-Katsuya, a former officer with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
He said terrorist groups are less likely to target ferries than other forms of transportation, such as Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system.
However, a December 2006 report on maritime terrorism by the Rand Corp., an American think tank, said ferries are particularly vulnerable to attack because of the speed needed to board passengers, cargo and vehicles.
And unlike cruise ships or cargo vessels, whose hull designs make them hard to sink, ferries sit low in the water and have open car decks, the report said.
"Attacks on ferries are easy to execute, have the potential to kill many people, are likely to capture significant media attention and can be exploited to visibly demonstrate a terrorists group's salience," the report said.
The CBC BC website has details from Canadian Press of what BC Ferries has planned in order to be more security conscious and enhance the present security situation on the fleets vessels and terminals.
More cameras, increased fencing and random passenger screenings all are part of the changes to the ways that BC Ferries operates in the changing times. It may require a change of attitude to the passenger as well, gone no doubt are the days of dashing down to the Ferry terminal to scramble onboard a vessel just in the nick of time.
Instead preparation and patience may become new buzzwords in the Ferry line up!
BC Ferries plans to boost security
Last Updated: Tuesday, April 3, 2007 9:09 PM PT
The Canadian Press
BC Ferries will beef up security to meet Transport Canada requirements, but will stop short of airport-style measures that would slow down travel, the company's president says.
"What's going to happen is there'll be continual upgrades to the security system," David Hahn said Tuesday, adding all ferry systems in Canada will be affected by guidelines to be released in the fall.
"If it's appropriate, we will move to more aggressive things like screening, but I don't think there's any master plan to screen every passenger," Hahn said.
He said there may be random security checks of some people, "not any kind of profiling."
Hahn said BC Ferries will continue to operate with the least amount of intrusion possible.
His comments contradict those made earlier Tuesday by Manuel Achadinha, vice-president of terminal operations for the fleet.
"There will be times, for example, if security incidents increase, it'll be like the airports," Achadinha said. "It might take you an hour to get through."
BC Ferries has slowly increased security by adding more cameras, providing employees with identification badges, installing more fencing around terminals and restricting access on some areas of the fleet.
Hahn said the new security measures have nothing to do with the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, but have ties to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorism attacks in the United States, the commuter train bombing in Madrid in 2004 and London's subway bombing in 2005.
"I don't think people should be overly concerned that there's going to be this massive slowdown in transit times," he said.
"The only time it would get difficult to travel is when it should be difficult to travel, which is if there's some kind of extraordinary event and people would expect that."
Union supports security initiative
An official at the BC Ferry and Marine Workers' Union in Nanaimo said the union is aware of the security measures being considered and generally supports the initiative.
"They are keeping us in the loop and that's where we like to be. We're all on the same side on this issue," said the union official, who did not want to be identified.
Canadian security expert Michel Juneau-Katsuya said screening ferry passengers and vehicles can be done but it presents complications.
"People have mixed feelings about it because of the sheer technicality of having to deal with volume," he said from Ottawa.
Explosive materials
Potentially explosive materials such as gasoline and industrial chemicals that airport sniffer machines detect can be carried on ferries legitimately, said Juneau-Katsuya, a former officer with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
He said terrorist groups are less likely to target ferries than other forms of transportation, such as Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system.
However, a December 2006 report on maritime terrorism by the Rand Corp., an American think tank, said ferries are particularly vulnerable to attack because of the speed needed to board passengers, cargo and vehicles.
And unlike cruise ships or cargo vessels, whose hull designs make them hard to sink, ferries sit low in the water and have open car decks, the report said.
"Attacks on ferries are easy to execute, have the potential to kill many people, are likely to capture significant media attention and can be exploited to visibly demonstrate a terrorists group's salience," the report said.
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