New hub aims to fast-track sustainable maritime innovation in Canada

Canada’s University of Victoria (UVic) and the Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies (COAST) have forged a partnership to speed up the development of renewable marine energy as well as decarbonization-oriented technologies in British Columbia.

According to UVic, the BC Marine Energy and Decarbonization Hub is the fruit born out of a decades-long collaboration conducted at the university by the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems (IESVic), Pacific Regional Institute for Marine Energy Discovery (PRIMED) and Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET).

The project will reportedly endeavor to promote and support the application of technologies engineered at the university. To be specific, the hub is set to offer the necessary services and infrastructure that would enable BC companies in their efforts to test and showcase solutions that drive maritime decarbonization forward.

In other words, as noted, the solutions are anticipated to pave the way for the crafting of “resilient and economical” clean energy options for coastal communities and First Nations. It is understood that another goal of the initiative is to spark job creation in the region and, in doing so, contribute to British Columbia’s broader economy.

As informed, the hub is supported by federal funding from Pacific Economic Development Canada, provincial funding from the BC Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions, and private support from the RBC Foundation.

Canada has been actively going forward with its maritime decarbonization goals through a combination of national and international commitments. One of the country’s objectives is to reduce its emissions by 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2030 across various sectors, shipping included.

According to Transport Canada, as a signatory to the Clydebank Declaration, the country has pledged to establish at least six green shipping corridors—zero emission maritime routes between ports—by the middle of this decade. In November 2024, the nation’s government announced it would splash up to $25.2 million for four projects, funded under the Green Shipping Corridor Program, to support both shore power and alternative fuel solutions.

More recently, namely in February 2025, the Canadian government decided to invest another $25 million to fund three projects investing in clean technology and port infrastructure in British Columbia. The funding was also provided under the Green Shipping Corridor Program.

As divulged, the companies that were awarded the funding are transport provider Seaspan Ferries Corporation (SFC), the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA).

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