BC Ferries to transition Metro Vancouver-based ships to partial biodiesel next year

BC Ferries' Queen of Cowichan vessel and the downtown Vancouver skyline. (Shutterstock)

BC Ferries has announced it is in the process of transitioning all of its vessels based in Metro Vancouver that currently use conventional diesel fuel to a comparatively greener fuel called B20.

B20 is a fuel mix that contains at least 20% biodiesel, which is made from vegetable oils or animal fats. It is a clean burning diesel replacement compared to traditional diesel fuels made from the conventional fossil fuel manufacturing process.

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The Queen of Oak Bay, a 41-year-old vessel, first switched to B20 in October 2021. This fuel source is a step up from BC Ferries’ existing practice of running its fleet on ultra-low sulphur diesel containing B5 or at least 5% biodiesel.

According to BC Ferries, they have not seen any difference in the operation of the machineries and propulsion system of the Queen of Oak Bay from its use of B20.

B20 is the greenest biodiesel fuel used to date. BC Ferries is hoping to further test the limits by exploring opportunities to increase the biodiesel content to 100% or B100.

Additionally, the ferry corporation has also been testing renewable diesel on the Queen of Surrey. While it comes from a similar feedstock as biodiesel, it is chemically identical to conventional diesel and can be used in existing systems without any modifications. By using renewable diesel, greenhouse gas emissions are cut down by up to 75% compared to traditional diesel fuels.

BC Ferries estimates the use of greener fuels on both the Queen of Oak Bay and Queen of Surrey between October 2021 and June 2022 have prevented the release of 13,200 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions — equivalent to removing 2,800 cars from the road for a year.

The ferry corporation is aiming to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 27% by 2030 compared to 2008 baseline levels, while also introducing more and improved service to meet the needs of the growing population and economy. As of 2022, the ferry corporation’s greenhouse gas emissions were 5% below 2008 levels.

On top of using greener fuels, BC Ferries has been introducing to the fleet new hybrid-electric vessels that can eventually be converted into full electric-battery vessels, when the technology for shore charging infrastructure matures, and when funding is made available for the required terminal upgrades.

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