Seaspan ticks first ship-to-ship LNG transfer off the list

Canada’s Seaspan Energy has wrapped up its first ship-to-ship LNG transfer to a containership in the Port of Long Beach, signaling the beginning of its service offering on the West Coast of North America.

This operation was performed by Seaspan Garibaldi, the first of three Seaspan Energy 112-meter-long LNG bunkering vessels to be operational.

The second vessel, Seaspan Lions, will soon join Seaspan Garibaldi to support the Long Beach and Vancouver markets on the West Coast of North America.

The third vessel, Seaspan Baker, was launched on July 1, 2024, and is slated for delivery in 2025.

The 7,600 cubic meter vessels are built by CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering (CIMC SOE) in China. The ships are fitted with a direct current power distribution system, supported by three dual-fuel generators, and propelled by two 1,600 KW azimuth thrusters, which are believed to enhance the environmental performance in terms of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) and operational pollution emissions while improving economic efficiency.

“Our first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering has been five years in the making and our team is so proud of this milestone especially as this represents the first ship-to-ship bunkering on the West Coast of North America,” said Harly Penner, Senior Vice President, Seaspan Energy. 

“We are committed to offering large vessel operators a low-carbon fuel solution and this is the first of many successful operations to support a sustainable shift in the global marine sector.”

To remind, the Canadian company recently obtained the first LNG bunkering accreditation issued by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA), becoming authorized to conduct ship-to-ship bunkering for LNG-fueled vessels calling at the Port of Vancouver.