SEA\LNG, the multi-sector industry coalition accelerating the widespread adoption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel, welcomed Canadian LNG provider FortisBC to the growing coalition.

FortisBC brings to the coalition nearly 50 years’ experience in LNG production in Western Canada. It owns and operates two LNG facilities on the west coast; its Tilbury LNG facility began operations in 1971, while its Mount Hayes facility on Vancouver Island launched operations in 2011.

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 LLC, 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.

SEA\LNG brings together key players in the marine value chain, including shipping companies, classification societies, ports, major LNG suppliers, LNG bunkering companies, infrastructure providers and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), advocating for cooperation and knowledge-sharing to build confidence in LNG as a commercially viable and environmentally sound marine fuel.

SEA\LNG has worked in partnership with its member organizations, independent consultancies, and academic experts to supply the shipping industry with a proven, fact-based analyses with which it can inform the important investment decisions it faces in complying with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Global 2020 Sulfur Limit, as well as looking forward towards reducing carbon emissions in line with the IMO’s 2030 and 2050 decarbonization targets.

Following conversation with industry experts SEA\LNG 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% compared to current oil-based marine fuels across the entire life cycle from Well-to-Wake (WtW).

Because BC LNG facilities are powered by hydroelectricity, BC LNG reduces emissions by up to 26% across the entire life cycle using the same methodology.

Further, SEA\LNG’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.