(image via Seaspan)
Vancouver-based Seaspan Energy recently began working with cruise liners experimenting with alternative fuels. The company recently acquired three refueling tankers from a Chinese shipyard and have been offering ship-to-ship liquefied natural gas refueling along the West Coast.
In fact, in May 2026, The Star Princess, operated by Princess Cruises just became the first oceangoing vessel to be refueled in Seattle with LNG. Earlier the same month, Seaspan also completed The first-ever cruise ship refueling using alternative fuel at the Port of Vancouver.
The major cruise lines in the Alaska market, through their trade association, have committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from ship operations by 2050. The challenge until now has been finding an alternative fuel that is cost-competitive and available at scale locally.
In the Port of Vancouver alone, There were 301 cruise ship calls in 2025, with each ship call to the Port injecting an average of $3 million into the local economy.
Harly Penner, President of Seaspan Energy, said, “We are proud to play a key role in advancing the shift to alternative marine fuels in North America’s fourth largest port and look to become a major center for LNG bunkering. Providing dependable LNG bunkering services from Vancouver represents a major step forward. This first LNG bunkering of a cruise ship at the port is a milestone we are excited to share with the Port of Vancouver, as it signals meaningful progress in the industry’s decarbonization efforts.”
Adding to that, the port of Seattle's Maritime Division Managing Director Stephanie Jones Stebbins said their port is interested because of the “tremendous” reduction in air pollutants, such as diesel particulates and harmful sulfur and nitrogen oxides, adding "We view LNG as a transition fuel. We are looking beyond that to options like renewable natural gas, ammonia, drop-in synthetic fuels, and green methanol.”
Penner appeared to anticipate LNG’s detractors who portray the fuel as acutely risky if spilled, due to its very low temperature. Critics also worry about the wide, devastating impact if an LNG cargo ignited, which Penner said has never happened during ship-to-ship refueling elsewhere in the world.
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