SeaspanLNG is pleased to announce that it has completed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering Co. Ltd for the construction of a 7600m3 LNG bunker vessel.

SeaspanLNG is part of Seaspan Marine Transportation, a group of Canadian companies that are primarily involved in ship assist, coastal and deep-sea transportation, ferry services and fuel bunkering on the west coast of North America.

CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering (SOE) will build the 7600m3 LNG bunkering vessel at their shipyard in China. SOE is one of the most experienced small-scale gas carrier shipbuilding yards having delivered more than 30 gas carriers for LNG, LEG and LPG.

SeaspanLNG has worked closely with partner VARD Marine Inc. on the vessel design, which will incorporate emerging technologies, and further operational emissions and greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions while considering underwater radiated noise. The design is focused on safe, efficient and economical refueling of multiple ship types as well as an ability to transfer to and from a wide range of terminals, and will engage in ship-to-ship LNG transfer as well as coastal/short sea shipping operations.

Harly Penner, Director, Fleet Engineering and Vessel Development, says, “This LOI represents an excellent opportunity for SeaspanLNG to work with SOE and to build the VARD designed 7600m3 LNG bunker vessel. We look forward to continuing to develop the design over the next months and are excited to partner with SOE to have the first LNG bunker vessel on the West Coast.”

Ian McIver, President Seaspan Marine Transportation, says, “CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering is a well-known and proven shipyard for delivering high quality sophisticated LNG Bunker Vessels and we are honoured to have the chance to work with the SOE team. SeaspanLNG will continue to build the LNG bunkering opportunities in our regions and we look forward to being able to provide a refueling service for LNG Fueled vessels on the West Coast.”

“As we work toward our vision of making the Port of Vancouver the world’s most sustainable port, we are encouraged by Seaspan’s decision to build a new LNG bunkering vessel, and applaud their leadership in supporting the transition to cleaner, lower-emission marine fuels at the port,” says Duncan Wilson, vice president of environment, community and government affairs at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. “We thank Seaspan for their continued collaboration with the port authority towards promoting cleaner and quieter vessels at the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port.”

“FortisBC has been providing Seaspan with LNG for a number of years and welcomes this news as an important step in establishing British Columbia as a liquefied natural gas bunkering hub for regional and international vessels. Promoting the use of LNG as a marine fuel is not only an economic opportunity for the province, it is one of our most significant opportunities to take meaningful climate action. LNG produced at our Tilbury facility is among the lowest carbon intensity in the world and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 27 per cent compared to common marine fuels,” says Mike Leclair, FortisBC Vice President, Major Projects and LNG.