Shared waters from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Beaufort Sea, through to the Great Lakes will be protected from threats of pollution under an agreement between the Canadian and U.S. coast guards.

Last month, Canadian Coast Guard Commissioner Mario Pelletier and U.S. coast guard Commandant Admiral Linda L. Fagan renewed the Canada-United States Joint Marine Pollution Contingency Plan.

“The agreement reflects the excellent continuing bilateral collaboration between our two organizations, including in preparedness and response to marine pollution incidents in our shared waters,” said Pelletier, in a release from the Canadian Coast Guard.

It provides a co-ordinated system for planning, preparedness and response to spills occurring in the waters between the two countries, a release said.

Pelletier said the plan represents a model framework for how two like-minded countries can work effectively together with a common purpose.

The plan allows for a co-ordinated mechanism for planning, preparing for and responding to spills in transboundary waters and establishes procedures for the co-ordination of spill response efforts between the two nations.

Fagan said it signifies the excellent partnership between the two agencies and advances their preparedness for responding to transboundary oil spills and marine incidents.

“The U.S. coast guard looks forward to continuing our collaborative work to protect our shared maritime environment,” she said.

The two agencies work closely together on a wide range of coast guard services, including environmental response, search and rescue, icebreaking, marine traffic management and aids to navigation.

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