FortisBC to Help Fund Two LNG Marine Vessels

FortisBC will provide $5 million in incentive funding toward two new vessels for Seaspan Ferries that will be able to run on LNG. The incentives were made possible following the creation of the Government of British Columbia’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction regulation in 2012 when FortisBC announced the $62 million program for fleet operators to offset part of the cost for a natural gas engine over a diesel engine. “With the expansion of FortisBC’s Tilbury LNG facility now underway, I look forward to seeing more agreements like this in the months and years ahead,” said Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett. Seaspan has also agreed to a fuelling agreement of up to 2.4 million gallons of LNG per year which will come from FortisBC’s Tilbury LNG facility in Delta. In 2014, Seaspan Ferries began shipping LNG in ISO containers from FortisBC’s Tilbury facility for use by natural gas for transportation customers on Vancouver Island. Seaspan is an association of Canadian companies involved in coastal marine transportation, ship-docking and ship escort, ship repair and shipbuilding services in Western North America. The two new 490 ft. ferries will accommodate up to 59 truck trailers. To date, the incentive program has resulted in 400 natural gas vehicles on the road or vessels in the water. To meet increased market demand for LNG, FortisBC has broken ground on a $400-million expansion of its Tilbury LNG facility in Delta.