The BC Government announced on Wednesday that it will be joining the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and FortisBC to establish a ship-to-ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) marine refuelling service service on the west coast.
The government says this service is the first of its kind on the west coast of North America and will help in replacing diesel fuel with LNG, which the government says has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by approximately 20 per cent.
The government also says that LNG-fuelled vessels have a reduced risk of a spill compared to diesel-fuelled ones.
“We are confident in B.C.’s ability to join the global network of ports that deliver clean-burning LNG direct to the ships of the future,” said Premier John Horgan. “This will allow B.C. to have a direct impact on global emissions by reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from visiting vessels.”
The government says that a study found that construction for LNG infrastructure could create 14,000 full-time jobs over five years and would contribute $1.8 billion to provincial GDP. The study also found that the refuelling service could have an annual economic impact of $930 million.
Currently, five BC Ferries and two Seaspan cargo ferries are fuelled by LNG from FortisBC, supplied via truck instead of ship-to-ship refuelling. The BC government says the usage of LNG on BC Ferries vessels has reduced GHG emissions by 12,500 tonnes a year.
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