BC Ferries runs two ferries to B20

In Canada, BC Ferries has removed the equivalent of nearly 3000 cars from the road over the past year and did so without altering a single sailing, or the customer experience. The key to the company’s success is in its recently released 2022 BC Ferries Clean Futures Plan.
Ninety-eight per cent of BC Ferries’ greenhouse gas emissions comes from the combustion of fuels by vessels, so to reduce that footprint the company needs to move customers in a more environmentally positive manner.

The most high profile examples in the evolution of ferry travel are the six hybrid battery-electric Island Class ferries, the two LNG Spirit Class ships, and the four LNG Salish Class vessels. Less visible examples of BC Ferries ‘greening of the fleet’ are the Queen of Oak Bay and Queen of Surrey. The 41-year old Queen of Oak Bay has a secret ingredient making her more environmentally friendly – 20 per-cent biodiesel (B20).

While the B20 conversion was taking place on the Queen of Oak Bay, the Queen of Surrey has been undergoing a similar trial using renewable diesel. It comes from a similar feedstock as biodiesel but undergoes a different process.

The two trials have eliminated 13,200 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from October 2021 through June 2022. That’s similar to removing 2800 cars from the road for an entire year with far more ambitious goals on the horizon.

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