Dear Editor: Regarding the Aug 21 letter, Speeding Tug's Wake Was Dangerous: Seaspan has been a proud member of the North Shore community for more than four decades and is a company that prides itself on living out its core values of safety and care. We strive to excel in demonstrating these values, not only to our customers and employees, but to the entire marine community. All of our employees, including our mariners, highly value the safety culture we work to continuously improve, and hold themselves to the highest standards of leadership in the marine industry.
When we received an email from Mr. Oerlemans on Aug. 10 with concerns about the manoeuvres of one of our vessels, we treated the matter with the utmost seriousness
and investigated his claims immediately. Upon concluding our research, we responded to Mr. Oerlemans in an email on Aug. 19 outlining that no Seaspan vessels were east of the Second Narrows Bridge on Aug. 3. Perhaps he was mistaken on the date of his observation or the vessel name, but nonetheless, I informed him that Seaspan would be sharing a memo with all of its mariners outlining his concern, and reminding them of the importance of maintaining situational awareness on the water.
I reiterate that safety is a core value of our company and something we never disregard. In light of the concerns of Mr. Oerlemans, Seaspan has sent a memo, as promised, to all of its mariners reporting the alleged incident. The memo also outlines the importance of being aware of our surroundings on the water and reinforces our commitments to safety, care and being excellent stewards of our marine environment. We appreciate the feedback from Mr. Oerlemans, and will continue to passionately deliver the best marine solutions to our customers and the community at large.
Mark Houghton
vicepresident marine operations, Seaspan ULC
