London/Vancouver, 1 November 2022 – The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) today is glad to introduce the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority as its newest member, becoming the first port authority to join the initiative which now consists of seventeen members across the maritime ecosystem.
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is the federal agency responsible for stewardship of Canada’s largest port, the Port of Vancouver. Situated on Canada’s west coast, in British Columbia, the Port of Vancouver is the third largest port in North America by tonnage, enabling the trade of approximately $275 billion in goods with more than 170 world economies.
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has set a vision for the Port of Vancouver to be the world’s most sustainable port, and is working towards a goal of phasing out all port-related emissions by 2050, as part of the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy –– a first-of-its-kind strategy that unites several major Canadian and U.S. ports around a shared goal of eliminating port-related air emissions. Towards this goal, the port authority leads innovative environmental programs and initiatives designed to reduce climate change-related emissions, improve air quality, and protect local ecosystems.
“Welcoming the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority to the SSI community is a special cause for celebration as the first port to join the initiative, bringing with it a new perspective on the sustainability challenges and priorities for the maritime sector.” Andrew Stephens, SSI’s Executive Director, said. “We look forward to working with our colleagues at the port authority and leveraging their expertise on areas ranging from sustainable marine fuels to oceans and coastal communities, ensuring that these are high on shipping’s sustainability agenda.”
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority adds representation for SSI in North America. Over the last several decades, the port authority has taken a leading role in supporting sustainable shipping practices through programs such as its EcoAction Program for ships, which was one of the first programs, globally, to offer financial incentives for shipping lines that follow sustainable practices, such as plugging into shore power or using low-carbon fuels; and its world-leading Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program, which coordinates one of the world’s largest voluntary efforts to reduce the impacts of shipping on endangered whales. Earlier this year, the port authority committed to explore the feasibility of the world’s first cruise-led green corridor, between Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska, in partnership with the Port of Seattle, the Borough of Juneau, and leading cruise lines.
“We are very pleased to become the first port authority to join this important global collaboration for sustainable shipping,” said Robin Silvester, chief executive officer and president of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. “We look forward to working alongside like-minded organizations from across the global maritime industry to advance our shared vision for more sustainable shipping – both at the Port of Vancouver and around the world.”
The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) is a multi-stakeholder initiative that brings together leading organisations with shared goals and equal determination in improving the sustainability of the shipping industry in terms of social, environmental and economic impacts. Ranging from NGOs to shipowners, charterers, banks, and classification societies, SSI members work toward the milestones laid out in the Roadmap to a sustainable shipping industry.
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Notes to Editors
For more information, interviews or comment please contact Elizabeth Petit, Head of Communications & Partnerships, Sustainable Shipping Initiative (e.petit@sustainableshipping.org) and Alanna Smith, communications advisor, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (alanna.smith@portvancouver.com)
About the Sustainable Shipping Initiative
The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) is a member-led group of leaders catalysing change across the maritime ecosystem. Since 2010, SSI has brought together shipowners, operators and managers; banks and financial stakeholder; cargo owners; classification societies; non-profits; ports; and service providers to advance environmental, social and economic goals for a sustainable shipping industry.
www.sustainableshipping.org | @SustShipping
About the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is the federal agency responsible for the stewardship of the Port of Vancouver. Like all Canada Port Authorities, we are accountable to the federal minister of transport, and operate pursuant to the Canada Marine Act with a mandate to enable Canada’s trade through the Port of Vancouver, while protecting the environment and considering local communities. The port authority is structured as a non-share corporation, is financially self-sufficient and does not rely on tax dollars for operations. Our revenues come from port terminals and tenants who lease port lands, and from port users who pay various fees such as harbour dues. Profits are reinvested in port infrastructure. The port authority has control over the use of port land and water, which includes more than 16,000 hectares of water, over 1,500 hectares of land, and approximately 350 kilometres of shoreline. Located on the southwest coast of British Columbia in Canada, the Port of Vancouver extends from Roberts Bank and the Fraser River up to and including Burrard Inlet, bordering 16 municipalities and intersecting the traditional territories and treaty lands of several Coast Salish First Nations. The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s largest port, and the third largest in North America by tonnes of cargo. Enabling the trade of approximately $275 billion in goods with more than 170 world economies, port activities sustain 115,300 jobs, $7 billion in wages, and $11.9 billion in GDP across Canada.
www.portvancouver.com | @PortVancouver