You may have noticed a lot more recreational activity in the Hamilton Harbour last summer. According to HPS Marine Unit, it was the busiest boating season on record as many residents flocked to the waterfront or bought new recreational equipment. They received more complaints about the operation of PWCs (personal water craft) than ever before. There was even an increase in amount of emergency rescues (check out this article: “another day, another floatie“).
You may also be aware that Hamilton’s port is the busiest Canadian port on the Great Lakes – with over 600 vessel calls each year. With so much vessel traffic and many residents planning to stay local again this summer, boating safety in Southern Ontario has never been so important.
As such, HOPA’s Port Patrol team and HPS Marine Unit are teaming up to remind boaters in Hamilton and Burlington about safe navigation. Please have a look at the documents linked below for some helpful tips and contact information.
A note from Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA Ports) Harbour Master & Manager of Port Security, Vicki Gruber: https://www.harbourwest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/HOPA-Safe-Navigation-2021.pdf
HPS Marine Unit’s newsletter here: https://www.harbourwest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Marine-2021-Newsletter.pdf