Seaspan's red & white tugboats are a familiar sight on the water to anyone in and around Vancouver. They can be spotted on any given day, traversing back and forth across the harbour and helping a wide range of vessels move safely through the Port.
But now, there are a few new Seaspan-branded ships in the harbour which you might not recognize.
These 113m-long vessels look quite different from the recognizable tugboats and they serve a much different purpose for the wider marine industry.
Seaspan Energy is a new entity within the Seaspan family, specializing in the ship-to-ship transfer of LNG fuel to an ocean-going vessel — also known as LNG bunkering. Seaspan Energy’s ships are the first to bring LNG bunkering to the Canadian market and it is their vessels which are now out in English Bay, fueling up a wide variety of ships.
A string of milestones
In November 2024, Seaspan Energy received the very first LNG bunkering accreditation to be issued by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, authorizing Seaspan to conduct ship-to-ship LNG bunkering for LNG-fueled vessels calling at the Port of Vancouver. Seaspan worked closely with the Port of Vancouver over this rigorous multi-year assessment process — considering international best practices around safety which utilized recommended guidelines from industry experts.
With the accreditation in place and all three Seaspan Energy vessels launched — the Seaspan Garibaldi (Nch’kay), the Seaspan Lions (Ch’ich’iyúy Elxwíkn) and the Seaspan Baker (Koma Kulshan) — it was off to the races.
In December, the Seaspan Garibaldi completed the company’s first ship-to-ship LNG transfer at the Port of Long Beach, marking the beginning of Seaspan’s service offering on the West Coast of North America.
Then, in February, the Seaspan Lions completed not only the first ever ship-to-ship LNG bunkering in Canada, but was also the first to export LNG from Canada by ship, a historic milestone for the marine industry, for Seaspan and for the Canadian energy sector.
This industry first was quickly followed by three other highlights in quick succession, with Seaspan Energy completing the first LNG bunkering to a containership in the Port of Vancouver, the first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering to a car carrier in Western North America and the first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering to a cruise ship in the Port of Vancouver. This string of exciting achievements firmly established Seaspan Energy as the pre-eminent LNG bunkering solution on the West Coast of North America.
Alternative marine fuel
Seaspan Energy is committed to helping drive the marine sector towards a sustainable and cleaner future.
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 supports the goals of visiting cruise and shipping lines, as they actively work towards reducing their emissions and reaching net zero by 2050, in line with International Maritime Organization targets.
Make sure to keep your eyes peeled the next time you’re out on the water and you might catch a glimpse of one of these innovative new ships.
