At the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s virtual Annual General Meeting, thirteen shipping lines, four coastal marine operators and two terminal operators were recognized for their voluntary efforts to conserve energy and reduce emissions at the Port of Vancouver.
The port authority’s Blue Circle awards were presented to port customers that excel in environmental stewardship and attain the highest level of participation in the port authority’s voluntary environmental programs such as the EcoAction Program and the Energy Action Initiative.
“We applaud our port terminal, shipping, and industry partners for their voluntary efforts to go above and beyond to follow environmental best practices, and in 2020 they did this during an exceedingly challenging year,” said Robin Silvester, president and chief executive officer at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. “Congratulations to all 2020 Blue Circle award recipients on your leadership to conserve energy and reduce air emissions at the Port of Vancouver.”
Since 2007, the port authority’s EcoAction Program has provided discounts of up to 47% on harbour dues for ship operators who follow environmental best practices. In 2020, over 750 vessels were awarded with an EcoAction discount, saving nearly $1.6 million in harbour dues.
The Energy Action Initiative is a joint program operated by the port authority in partnership with BC Hydro that helps terminal operators and port tenants enhance their energy conservation practices. In 2020, the initiative helped implement seven energy conservation projects on port lands, resulting in annual energy savings of 1,400,000 kWh for the port tenants.
2020 Blue Circle Award recipients in the EcoAction Program category:
Shipping Lines
- COSCO SHIPPING
- Evergreen Line
- Fednav Ltd.
- G2 Ocean Shipping Canada Limited
- Hapag-Lloyd
- HMM
- “K” Line
- MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (Canada) Inc.
- ONE – Ocean Network Express
- Pacific Basin Shipping (Canada) Ltd.
- SM LINE
- Westwood Shipping Lines
- Yang Ming
Coastal Marine Operators
- BC Ferries
- North Arm Transportation
- SAAM Towage Canada
- Seaspan ULC
Terminal Operators:
- Cascadia Port Management Corporation
- Viterra Pacific Elevators
2020 Award Highlights:
- “K” Line and Westwood Shipping Lines have been awarded every year since the inaugural awards in 2009.
- Hapag-Lloyd has been recognized eleven times.
- HMM and Mediterranean Shipping Company have won this award for eight consecutive years since 2013.
- Evergreen Line has won this award for six consecutive years since 2015.
