Cruise ships docking in Victoria’s Ogden Point will soon have access to clean hydroelectricity, allowing them to turn off their engines and help protect the environment, according to the provincial government.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is providing $9 million to support the new infrastructure, which includes shore power installations at two berths that will allow multiple vessels to plug in at the same time.
“People want solutions to environmental concerns while also growing our economy,” Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said in a Wednesday news release.
“This will lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce air pollution and create well-paying jobs that support sustainable tourism.”
According to the provincial government, transportation is B.C.’s largest source of climate-polluting emissions, accounting for 40 per cent of its annual total.
Wednesday’s announcement comes as the seven-month cruise season prepares to open April 11. The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority is expecting some 330 ship calls at the Victoria Cruise Terminal, along with about 850,000 passengers.
The traffic is warmly welcomed after several years of pandemic disruption, said Kelly Craighead, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Cruise Lines International Association.
“I’m happy to say that the industry is coming back. In fact, we’re at 100 per cent of ships currently sailing and we’ll see what happens this season, but we expect to be back at 100 per cent capacity, if not a little bit of growth,” she told Global News.
“We’re really excited to be back here in British Columbia and we’re really looking forward to building back the 17,000 jobs that are represented here and 30,000 jobs across the country.”
Barry Penner, a legal advisor in Canada for the Cruise Lines International Association, said B.C.’s cruise industry generated $2.7 billion for B.C.’s economy annually before COVID-19. The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority has said the industry usually pumps more than $143 million into the Victoria region alone.
Penner said he is optimistic about the industry’s recovery and future growth.
“The surveys that have been done of the people on a cruise ship that are visiting here for the first time indicate that 60 per cent are indicating an intention to come back,” he said in Victoria.
“Of course, last year was our first year back in Canada after the pandemic, and partly intentionally, cruise lines didn’t sell all the cabins they could have in order to maintain space in case isolation was required for health reasons.
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“Now that most of that concern is hopefully behind us, and we’re sailing towards a brighter future, there will be an ability to sell more cabins.”
A Destination BC report recently found B.C. is the hub of cruise activity, representing about 50 per cent of all Canadian cruise traffic.
Penner said he also welcomed news of more sustainable infrastructure at Ogden Point, noting that cruise lines have committed to a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, and “shore power is one of the important components of that.”
“As you know, Vancouver has had shore power for some time and that’s been proven to be quite successful,” he said. “We’re looking forward to working with government partners, including the harbor authority, to make that a reality in Victoria, where some local residents at that time said, ‘Hey, is there more that can be done to reduce emissions?'”
According to the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, 85 per cent of Cruise Lines International Association ships coming online between now and 2028 will be able to plug into shoreside electricity. Another 98 per cent of new builds in that timeframe will be fitted with shoreside electricity systems or configured to add shoreside power.
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