Celebrating 10 years of their Green Wave Program, the Prince Rupert Port Authority awarded five companies for their participation in 2022. 

Started in 2013, Manager of Environmental Sustainability for the PRPA Jason Scherr explained that the program was designed to incentivize vessels to reduce their environmental impact. Vessels that work to reduce impacts like underwater noise or air pollution get categorized into three different tiers, with each tier representing a higher percentage of harbour dues that can be reduced. 

Starting at tier one, harbour dues are reduced by 10 per cent, going up to 20 per cent, and ending at 50 per cent reduction in tier three. 

Even though the Green Wave Program was started in 2013, Scherr explained that the Green Wave Awards weren’t established until 2018. 

For 2022, the PRPA awarded B.C. Ferries, a liquified natural gas shipping company Navigator Gas LLC; and container shipping companies COSCO Shipping Lines, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, and SM Line. 

The anniversary of the program comes just months after the launch of the authority's shore power project expansion, which now offers vessels a chance to plug into a power source at both berths and shut down their main generators, something the authority says can reduce carbon emissions by nearly 30,000 tonnes annually.

According to a news release from the authority, 42 out of 208 vessel calls that qualified for the Green Wave Program in 2022 reduced greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 4,785 tonnes. 

- With files from Jeff Blagden

Listen to the CFNR story with Jason Scherr below: