Cruise ship used for Ukraine refugees now a floating hotel for Squamish construction workers

Isabelle arrives in Vancouver harbour, January 2024. (Bridgemans Services Group)

This week, an old cruise-ferry ship arrived at Seaspan’s shipyard in North Vancouver to begin work on the finishing touches of the vessel’s refit ahead of its use as a “floatel” — a floating hotel, specifically for the construction workers building the Woodfibre LNG plant.

Up until last year, the Isabelle was actively being used in Estonia, where it was mobilized as temporary housing for 1,500 Ukrainian refugees who fled the Russian war.

In July 2023, Vancouver-based marine services firm Bridgemans Services Group acquired Isabelle, at which point the ship was sent to a shipyard in Estonia for a major refit of its interior living and common areas, and environmental systems.

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Starting in Spring 2024, the vessel will be positioned off the shore of the west side of Howe Sound near Squamish, where the Woodfibre LNG facility will be constructed.

Isabelle contains 652 newly renovated guest cabins, each with private ensuites, for more than 600 on-site construction workers over the multi-year timeline of building the project.

Living onboard, they will have access to a wide range of amenities, including an upgraded dining room, an 8,000 sq ft fitness gym, a sports lounge with large television screens, a games lounge, and multiple quiet lounges, as well as lockers.

isabelle floating hotel floatel bridgemans

Isabelle arrives in Vancouver harbour, January 2024. (Bridgemans Services Group)

The ship has the ability to connect to land-based shore hydro power, reducing the need to use its auxiliary diesel engines, and features industrial-sized heat pumps, sewage treatment with ultrafiltration, and an ultraviolet water purification system.

The Isabelle, originally known as the Isabella, was built in Croatia in 1989 for longer haul cruise-ferry services in northern Europe.

The vessel previously had a capacity for 2,200 passengers and 410 vehicles on multiple car decks.

It has a total of 12 decks, a length of 556 ft, a width of 91 ft, and a gross tonnage of 34,386 GT, which is equivalent to the tonnage of BC Ferries’ two largest ships — the Spirit of Vancouver Island and Spirit of British Columbia — combined.

Inside the Isabelle. (Bridgemans Services Group)

Instead of the typical use of a work camp, the Woodfibre LNG project is using a self-contained, full-service floatel to address potential impacts from the large influx of temporary workers, including demand on local housing and community services. It also offers quicker deployment, superior livability, and reduced environmental impacts.

“We are thrilled to showcase MV Isabelle to our neighbours in Vancouver and along the Sea-to-Sky corridor,” said Brian Grange, president of Bridgemans, in a statement.

“MV Isabelle represents a generational leap in environmental innovation and a Made-in-Canada approach that we hope to bring to more of our large workforce accommodation projects in the future.”

Bridgemans also currently operates the 1981-built Saga, a similarly-sized cruise-ferry ship with 635 guest cabins, for floatel uses. In 2021, it retired its Bluefort vessel, which was a small floatel with 210 guest cabins.

Construction on the Woodfibre LNG project officially began in Summer 2023. If all goes as planned, the processing and export facility — situated on the footprint of a former sawmill and pulp mill — should be operational by 2027.

Artistic rendering of the Woodfibre LNG plant and terminal. (Woodfibre LNG)

Artistic rendering of the Woodfibre LNG plant and terminal. (Woodfibre LNG)

This project includes the construction of the 50-km-long Eagle Mountain-Woodfibre Gas Pipeline between Coquitlam and Squamish, with the majority of this pipeline running alongside FortisBC’s existing pipeline to minimize environmental footprint. Pipeline construction is expected to reach completion by late 2026.

This relatively small-scale facility is expected to produce between 1.5 million and 2.1 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG), with 8.8 million cubic metres of floating storage capacity before the LNG is channeled into carrier ships for export to Asia. Between three and four ships are expected each month.

In contrast, the massive LNG Canada facility in Kitimat — now nearing completion at a cost of $40 billion — will produce 14 million tonnes per year, with a potential second phase expansion growing capacity to 28 million tonnes per year.

The entire Woodfbire LNG project carries an estimated cost of $6.8 billion, with Singapore-based Pacific Energy covering 70% and Alberta-based Enbridge covering 30%. This includes a portion of FortisBC’s pipeline cost.

Eagle Mountain - Woodfibre LNG Gas Pipeline Project

Route of the new Eagle Mountain-Woodfibre Gas Pipeline serving Woodfibre LNG. (FortisBC)

Route of the new Eagle Mountain-Woodfibre Gas Pipeline serving Woodfibre LNG in the Squamish/Howe Sound area. (FortisBC)

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