Port authority welcomes back cruise

March 7, 2022

Further to Transport Canada’s announcement that cruise is returning to Canada this year, supported by a new public health framework, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is very pleased to welcome cruise ships and passengers back to the Port of Vancouver starting in April.

The safety of local communities, and that of passengers and guests who visit Canada Place at the Port of Vancouver, remains our top priority. We continue to follow the direction of Transport Canada, the lead agency responsible for regulations and safety policies for the cruise industry, and we are working with industry and other cruise ports across Canada through the Association of Canadian Port Authorities, and all levels of government to prepare for the upcoming cruise season.

We commend the cruise industry and all our tourism partners on the work done to place passenger and community safety at the front and centre of the cruise restart in Vancouver and across Canada.

Vancouver’s cruise industry is very important to the region’s economy, generating an estimated $2.2 billion in total economic impact annually in B.C. and across Canada.

The first cruise ship to Vancouver is scheduled to arrive at the cruise terminal at the Port of Vancouver on April 7, 2022. In 2022, we are expecting more than 300 homeported calls at Canada Place cruise terminal.

As part of our efforts to advance the port authority’s vision for the Port of Vancouver to be the world’s most sustainable port, our environmental programs support the sustainable future of cruise operations in Vancouver. At the Port of Vancouver’s Canada Place cruise terminal, the port authority offers shore power, which allows ships equipped with shore power compatible technology to shut down their diesel-powered auxiliary engines and plug into low-emission electrical power.

This cruise season, more than 60% of all calls are expected to be shore power enabled. Since 2009, the use of shore power at Canada Place has avoided more than 22,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases. More information about cruise schedules is available on our website here.