HaiSea Marine to Build Tugs for LNG Canada Terminal

HaiSea Marine, a joint venture partnership between the Haisla First Nation and Seaspan ULC, has been awarded a contract to build and operate escort and harbor tugs required for LNG Canada’s LNG export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia.

The value of the 12-year contract is approximately CAD 500 million (USD 376.6 million).

During operations, LNG carriers will require harbor tugs to provide berthing and unberthing assistance in Kitimat. The tugs will also provide transportation of material and personnel, marine emergency response, firefighting and oil pollution response.

What is more, escort tugs are required to escort LNG carriers from Triple Island to the facility in Kitimat, approximately 159 nautical miles. The tugs are yet to be constructed and will go into service shortly prior to production commencing, which is estimated before mid-next decade.

Vancouver-based Robert Allan has been contracted to design the new vessels.

Construction of the LNG export facility in Kitimat, in the North Coast region of BC, will begin in 2019. It will initially consist of two LNG processing units referred to as “trains,” with the capacity to produce 14 million tons per annum of LNG, with an option to expand the project in the future to four trains.

Once completed, the LNG terminal will be maintained by the JGC-Fluor BC LNG Joint Venture (JFJV) and operated by LNG Canada, a joint venture between Shell, PETRONAS, PetroChina, Mitsubishi and Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS).