Date: Jan 28, 2025
Type
Image
Seaspan LNG ship in Burrard Inlet
Seaspan Lions, one of Seaspan Energy’s three LNG bunkering vessels operating on Canada’s West Coast, in English Bay. Photo by Andrew Fyfe for Seaspan Energy

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is actively working at reducing air emissions, including climate-warming greenhouse gases, from port-related traffic and activities in support of national and global decarbonization efforts. 

Through a comprehensive set of climate and air quality actions and initiatives, the port authority is committed to phasing out all port-related emissions that affect air quality or contribute to climate change by 2050. Some of the actions we are taking to advance this goal include incentivizing the adoption of cleaner fuels and technologies by port users and providing shore power connections to hundreds of cruise and container ships calling Vancouver every year, so they can plug into a clean source of power while at berth. 

Another key contributor to the reduction of ship-source emissions and decarbonization targets at the Port of Vancouver and worldwide is the transition from traditional marine fuels, such as heavy fuel oil and marine diesel, to alternative—and cleaner—fuels, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG). Port authorities play a crucial role in enabling this energy transition by providing the infrastructure and services needed to support it, including in-port bunkering of alternative marine fuels. This is why facilitating the use of LNG as a marine fuel is an integral part of our emissions reduction program.

What is bunkering?

Bunkering refers to the process of supplying and transferring any marine fuel, including LNG, into cargo ships’ fuel tanks—known as bunkers. The availability of this service in ports is critical to enabling trade. At the Port of Vancouver, bunkering operations occur daily—both in the anchorage areas and at marine terminals—in one of two ways: ship-to-ship (a bunkering vessel transfers the fuel into ships’ tanks), or truck-to-ship (tanker trucks are used to load ships’ tanks).  The ship-to-ship method is most common for the bunkering of deep-sea cargo vessels, while truck-to-ship is typically used for refueling ships operating in local waters, including BC Ferries.       

What is LNG and how does it contribute to emissions reduction? 

LNG is a natural gas that is cooled to the extremely low temperature of -160°C to reach a liquid form, for easier storage and transportation. It is considered a cleaner alternative to conventional marine fuel oils as it produces less harmful emissions from sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. As the global marine shipping industry strives to reduce its emissions footprint and comply with more stringent environmental regulations, cargo ships around the world are increasingly using LNG as fuel.     

Supporting the use of LNG as a marine fuel at the Port of Vancouver

The port authority recently made a significant stride in facilitating the use of LNG—one of the most widely adopted alternative marine fuels—for cargo ships calling Vancouver by authorizing LNG bunkering operations to take place within the limits of the port. 

In November 2024, North Vancouver’s Seaspan Energy received the first-to-be-issued LNG bunkering accreditation from the port authority. This means it is now authorized to conduct ship-to-ship LNG bunkering at the Port of Vancouver. Seaspan Energy’s accreditation was issued following rigorous risk assessments and mitigation processes that considered international best practices around safety. 

This accreditation makes LNG the first approved alternative fuel for ship bunkering at the Port of Vancouver, supports the energy transition, and aligns with the port authority’s emissions reduction goals. By allowing cargo ships powered with LNG to safely and efficiently refuel while in port, Seaspan Energy’s accreditation—along with the port authority’s LNG accreditation program—also contribute to streamlining port calls. 

In-port bunkering operations that meet the highest safety standards  

Ensuring all ship and cargo movements—and supporting port operations—taking place in Vancouver harbour are conducted safely is central to our mandate as a Canada Port Authority. We do so by developing and implementing procedures and accreditations programs that meet the highest safety and environmental protection standards, and that all parties must adhere to. As such, the refueling of cargo ships with LNG and other marine fuels within port waterways is subject to stringent requirements that align with industry best practices and guidelines, as defined by the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (for LNG) and the International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals (for conventional fuels).

For example, the guidelines established by the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF) define a series of safety zones to protect LNG bunkering operations. These start from the bunkering connection point and radiate outwards, and include the hazardous zone, safety control zone, monitoring and security area, marine exclusion zone, and external zone. The need for—and size of—each zone is determined through a site-specific assessment process that uses SGMF guidance and tools. 

Bunkering safety requirements at the Port of Vancouver also consider the distinctive features of the different areas of the port where these operations take place, including English Bay, Burrard Inlet, and the Fraser River, to ensure they are carried out as safely and efficiently as possible, and don't interfere with—or pose a risk to—nearby vessels, communities, and infrastructure. Examples of those safety requirements and procedures include:

workspace_premium  Annual review and accreditation of all bunker suppliers operating within the port

checklist  Detailed logging and record keeping of all bunkering operations conducted within the port 

announcement  Advance notice to the port authority of any bunkering operation set to take place within the port

article  Reliable communication channels and protocols maintained throughout bunker transfer, to enable quick shutdown of the operation at any time, if needed

Because it is stored and transported in cooling tanks to maintain its liquid state, the process of handling and transferring LNG into ships’ fuel tanks differs slightly from the bunkering of fuel oils and is subject to additional safety considerations. These include requirements for suppliers to use LNG-specific safety checklists and to only conduct bunkering operations within designated areas of the port. Any ship using LNG as fuel must also be approved by Transport Canada and comply with all relevant operating practices and procedures specific to their vessel type. 

By upholding the highest standards for all bunkering operations taking place within the Port of Vancouver, the port authority continues to meet its commitment to safety and environmental stewardship. Through robust safety standards, protocols, and accreditation programs, we can facilitate the maritime industry's shift towards cleaner energy sources and support emissions reduction efforts  for a more sustainable future.

Learn more about the procedures and requirements governing bunkering operations taking place at the Port of Vancouver in our Port Information Guide.