FortisBC joins LNG bunkering coalition

SEALNG, the coalition pushing the adoption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel, has been joined by the Canadian LNG provider FortisBC.

FortisBC brings to the coalition nearly 45 years’ experience in LNG production in Western Canada, SEALNG said in its statement.

It owns and operates two LNG facilities on the west coast, its Tilbury LNG facility began operations in 1971, while it’s Mount Hayes facility on Vancouver Island launched operations in 2011.

Douglas Stout, vice-president of external relations and market development at FortisBC said, “Our work in LNG is an important element within our campaign to reduce emissions from our customer base by 30 percent by the year 2030 – one of the most ambitious emissions reduction targets in the Canadian utility sector.”

FortisBC has developed truck-to-ship bunkering solutions and technologies in collaboration with its customers to advance the use of LNG in the domestic marine sector.

A separate company, WesPac Midstream, is proposing a marine jetty on the Fraser River adjacent to the Tilbury LNG facility to facilitate ship-to-ship bunkering for domestic and trans-Pacific vessels.

Following a conversation with industry experts, SEALNG recently released an addendum to its Life Cycle GHG Emissions Study on the Use of LNG as Marine Fuel, commissioned in partnership with the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF) and conducted by independent consultancy thinkstep.

The addendum reaffirms the study’s findings that LNG demonstrates carbon emissions reductions of up to 21 percent compared to current oil-based marine fuels across the entire life cycle from Well-to-Wake (WtW). Since BC LNG facilities are powered by hydroelectricity, BC LNG reduces emissions by up to 26 percent across the entire life cycle using the same methodology.

Further, SEALNG’s latest study, the Comparison of Alternative Fuels, commissioned to founding member and leading classification society DNV GL, examines the current commercial and operational viability of alternative marine fuels based on industry and academic literature.

The study finds that LNG is the most mature, scalable, and commercially viable alternative fuel currently available for the maritime industry.