Economic benefits

  • Container ship Atlantic Companion leaving the Ceres Fairview Cove Containor Pier in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Container ship Atlantic Companion leaving the Ceres Fairview Cove Containor Pier in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

  • Container ship Italy Express going under the MacKay Bridge in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on it's way to the Ceres Fairview Cove Container Terminal.

    Container ship Italy Express going under the MacKay Bridge in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on it's way to the Ceres Fairview Cove Container Terminal.

  • Container ship Italy Express going under the MacKay Bridge in Halifax on it's way to the Ceres Fairview Cove Container Terminal.

    Container ship Italy Express going under the MacKay Bridge in Halifax on it's way to the Ceres Fairview Cove Container Terminal.

  • Cruisse ship at Narrows in St. John's, Newfoundland.

    Cruisse ship at Narrows in St. John's, Newfoundland.

Canada’s maritime economy at a glance

  • In 2006, maritime related activities contributed $27.7 billion to Canada's gross domestic product.and provided 316,000 jobs. Most of these activities involved the commercial fisheries, aquaculture and fish processing industries, marine cargo transportation, offshore oil and gas extraction, marine tourism, ship-building, and marine infrastructure construction.
  • In 2008, for instance, marine transportation was the dominant mode for international trade, with annual shipments worth more than $157 billion.
  • As commercial shippers increase the size and number of their vessels, the business potential for Canadian ports will expand.
  • Increased activity in offshore oil and gas exploration and extraction, and marine tourism offers more opportunities for growth.

With the longest coastline in the world, stretching 244,000 kilometres from the Pacific to the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, Canada looks to this maritime territory to play a major role in its economic prosperity—from providing jobs and food, to transportation, energy and other natural resources.
Canada’s marine resources provide ample opportunities for growth, if used wisely. Strong science—supported by the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS)—will minimize environmental and safety risks, and maximize navigational efficiencies in Canada's marine regions .
CHS serves and contributes to Canada’s scientific knowledge through its hydrographic surveys of water depths, tides and currents, as well as mapping of seabeds and locating natural hazards.

The economic benefits of CHS’s work extend far beyond the value of accurate nautical charts, or other products and services, to include numerous activities, such as:

  • assisting in geoscience technology and the exploration of offshore gas and oil sites
  • expanding navigation routes, such as Enbridge Northern Gateway Project, and providing data for harbours to accommodate deep-draft tankers and other large vessels on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts
  • promoting development and new opportunities for Canada’s northern communities with seabed mapping under ice in the Canadian Arctic
  • Contributing to vessel management and pinpointing navigational hazards to reduce marine accidents
  • monitoring marine changes that can impact fish habitat
  • assisting in Canada’s program to determine the extension of the Maritime Zones, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
  • testing new technology, such as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in the frozen Arctic Ocean
  • developing and testing a new laser tide gauge system to improve the reliability and timeliness of Canadian tide gauge data, for shipping information and navigation charts as well as to monitor storm surge and tsunami activity; this system also contributes to research into tidal current energy and reduce ice hazards
  • mapping seabeds for renewable energy from tidal currents and waves
  • developing SPINE (Service de prévision et d’interpolation des niveaux d’eau), a web-based water-level prediction service that provides accurate, real-time estimates of water levels in all parts of the navigable St. Lawrence waterway between Montréal and Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive, downstream from Québec City—valuable information for shipping companies