First-ever cruise ship bunkered with LNG at the Port of Vancouver

The first-ever cruise ship has filled up with liquefied natural gas (LNG) in a ship-to-ship (STS) operation at the Port of Vancouver, representing an important step forward for the Canadian port to reduce emissions.

Seaspan Energy, part of the Canadian Seaspan Group, provided LNG bunkering services to Silversea Cruises’ cruise vessel Silver Nova with its bunker vessel Seaspan Garibaldi, which was delivered in August last year.

The 54,700-ton LNG cruise ship Silver Nova, delivered by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft in 2023, prepares to sail to Alaska.

LNG is the first alternative fuel available in significant quantities for the international maritime sector that has been approved for local bunkering—or ship refuelling services—with deep-sea vessels now able to refuel with it at the Port of Vancouver. The adoption of LNG bunkering at the port is said to mark an important milestone as the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority supports industry efforts to enhance sustainability and reduce emissions.

“We all have a crucial role to play enabling the energy transition and as a port authority our focus is on putting the infrastructure and processes in place to ensure visiting ships can move beyond traditional marine fuels and embrace alternative fuels like LNG,” Shri Madiwal, Vice President of Operations and Supply Chain at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, commented.

“LNG is one of the most widely adopted alternative marine fuels and the first approved for bunkering at the Port of Vancouver—its introduction is a vital step forward as early planning gets underway to safely introduce other alternative fuels like ammonia and methanol.”

The transition away from traditional marine fuels, such as heavy fuel oil and marine diesel, to cleaner fuels such as LNG is key to reducing emissions and meeting decarbonization targets at the Port of Vancouver and worldwide. Offering services like alternative fuel bunkering and shore power infrastructure in Vancouver supports the goals of visiting cruise lines, as they actively work towards reducing their emissions and reaching net zero by 2050, in line with International Maritime Organization targets.

While biofuels have been available for bunkering at the port for several years in limited quantities, LNG represents the arrival of the first alternative to traditional diesel-based fuels and its introduction will support work towards introducing further alternative fuels such as ammonia, according to Seaspan.

Seaspan Energy became the first accredited supplier of LNG for ships calling the Port of Vancouver last fall, and currently operates three ship-to-ship LNG bunkering vessels on North America’s West Coast. The company has completed several LNG bunkering operations for container, car carrier and bulk cargo ships in Vancouver already this year, as shippers embrace the availability of the alternative fuel.

“We are proud to play a key role in advancing the shift to alternative marine fuels in North America’s fourth largest port and look to become a major centre for LNG bunkering,” Harly Penner, President of Seaspan Energy, said.

“Providing dependable LNG bunkering services from Vancouver represents a major step forward. This first LNG bunkering of a cruise ship at the port is a milestone we are excited to share with the Port of Vancouver, as it signals meaningful progress in the industry’s decarbonization efforts.”

Vancouver’s thriving cruise sector is at the forefront of port efforts to create sustainable operations and protect the environment. This includes pioneering shore power technology and implementing key local environmental programs such as ECHO and EcoAction.

Cruise lines had a more than 90% participation rate last year in the port authority-led ECHO Program (which coordinates voluntary ship slowdowns to protect at-risk whales in the Salish Sea), while the sector’s strong participation connecting to shore power has enabled port-related greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced by more than 45,000 tonnes since 2009.

Shore power technology allows ships to shut down their auxiliary engines and plug into B.C.’s low emission, hydro-powered electrical grid while at berth—with more than 80% of cruise calls shore power enabled in 2024.

There are 301 cruise ship calls scheduled for 2025, with each ship call to the Port of Vancouver injecting an average of C$3 million into the local economy.