Port of Prince Rupert introduces bunkering service for deep-sea shipping

Canadian Port of Prince Rupert has welcomed the startup of Wolverine Terminals’ marine bunkering service for deep-sea shipping, thus adding a logistical capability to the port.

As informed, using a pair of barges designed by Canadian ship designer Robert Allan, Wolverine Terminals can deliver a wide range of fuels to suit the needs of vessels calling at the port, including marine diesel, heavy, intermediate and other blends to individual customer specifications.

By introducing this new service, deep-sea ships may now bunker at this gateway to North America, which is said to feature favorably short trading routes to Asia and access to a supply of domestically produced fuels delivered by rail.

The Wolverine Terminals fleet comprises a transloading barge and a fuel delivery (lightering) barge.

Wolverine Spirit 1, the 142-meter-long transloading barge, can accept up to 24 rail tank cars on deck. Once loaded and secured, the barge is moved using tugs from the loading ramp to the Wolverine Terminals project site, where once moored, the railcars can be drained into the barge’s hull tanks, which have a combined capacity of nearly 80,000 barrels of oil products, Robert Allan explained.

Wolverine Spirit 2, the 78-meter-long lightering barge, receives fuels from the transloading barge and is towed to client’s vessels in the harbor where it delivers fuel to their individual requirements. With a capacity of approximately 30,000 barrels of products, this barge can, reportedly, deliver fuels to ocean-going vessels at up to 450 m3/hr.

According to Robert Allan, both barges have been designed to maximize the safety of operations: “In addition to featuring double-hulls, there are extensive containment and response systems aboard both barges, as well as fire-fighting systems and equipment. Access to the railcar tops is via a fixed gantry system with Safe Harbor access platforms/gangways, while access between the barges is via a swinging Verhoef gangway with articulated stairs that adjust to ensure safe passage for all combinations of drafts and freeboards between the two barges. Cranes on both barges facilitate the transfer of equipment from shore and handling of hoses.”

Both barges are said to be fully compliant with Transport Canada regulations and are classed by the classification society Lloyd’s Register. The ship designer noted that “attention has been paid to keep all potential sources of emissions low, with IMO Tier III compliant exhausts equipped with after-treatment, silencing for all diesel-fired machinery, vapour recovery for the cargo systems, and low-intensity lighting.”