News Release

SAINT JOHN (GNB) – A new specialized weather buoy that will provide online information to more accurately forecast wind, wave and ocean currents in the Bay of Fundy was officially launched today.

The new forecasting tool was made possible by the provincial and federal governments and by the members of the SmartATLANTIC Saint John Inshore Weather Buoy project.

The technology will provide the marine transportation community, commercial fishers, recreational boaters, meteorologists, researchers and scientists, and the public with online access to real-time weather and directional wave information.

"The SmartATLANTIC Saint John Buoy project is a great example of how innovation and technology can help drive economic growth in our province,” said Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet. “The provincial government is proud to be a contributing partner in this project which will further solidify Port Saint John’s reputation as a gateway to global markets.”

Doucet attended the event on behalf of Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Roger Melanson.

"The Government of Canada is proud to invest in this smart technology that will improve safety, reduce costs, and increase the efficiency of Port Saint John, while supporting Canada’s future economic growth,” said Saint John MP John Rodney Weston. “By providing the shipping community and other users with highly valuable real-time information to more accurately forecast wind, wave and ocean currents in the Bay of Fundy, this weather buoy will enhance navigation safety and productivity.”

Weston attended the event for federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt.

The total project cost is about $417,000. The provincial government is contributing $91,000 to the project, the federal government is providing up to $185,000 and the Saint John Port Authority is contributing $91,000.

The information collected by the buoy will help keep mariners safe while increasing productivity and reducing the cost of moving goods through Port Saint John, Canaport LNG, Irving Canaport and other facilities.

With accurate data, shipping companies will have additional information to safely navigate their vessels through the waterways leading into Port Saint John. The technology improves the port’s reliability, and supports better planning and more efficient operations by shippers and others using it.

The weather buoy is an ODAS buoy (Ocean Data Acquisition System) manufactured in Canada by AXYS Technologies and is the first of its kind to be deployed in the Bay of Fundy.

The public can access the weather forecasts online on a website hosted by Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Centre for Applied Ocean Technology.