Haisla Nation and Seaspan awarded LNG Canada escort and harbor tugs contract
HaiSea Marine, a joint venture partnership between the Haisla First Nation and Seaspan ULC, announced the signing of a contract award with LNG Canada to design, build and operate escort tugs and harbor tugs required for LNG Canada’s LNG export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia, the company said in its release.
The value of the contract award is approximately $500 million over 12 years and will result in employment for approximately 70 mariners and six onshore staff, plus other roles for employees of the partner organizations.
Benefits will also be available to the Gitxaala Nation and the Gitga’at Nation through a transit agreement with the Haisla.
During operations, LNG carriers will require harbour tugs to provide berthing and unberthing assistance in Kitimat. The tugs will also provide transportation of material and personnel, marine emergency response, firefighting and oil pollution response. Escort tugs are required to escort LNG carriers from Triple Island to the facility in Kitimat, approximately 159 nautical miles. The tugs are yet to be constructed and will go into service shortly prior to production commencing, which is estimated before mid-next decade.
Vancouver-based Robert Allan Ltd., an independent, privately owned firm of consulting naval architects and marine engineers, has been contracted to design the new vessels.
About HaiSea Marine
HaiSea Marine is a joint venture partnership between the Haisla First Nation and Seaspan ULC. Both partners have considerable experience and knowledge of operating in Northern British Columbia, making HaiSea a natural choice for providing responsible and dependable marine services in the region.
About LNG Canada
The LNG Canada joint venture is building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada, which will initially consist of two LNG processing units, referred to as “trains.” LNG Canada is a joint venture comprised of Royal Dutch Shell plc, through its affiliate Shell Canada Energy (40%); PETRONAS, through its wholly-owned entity, North Montney LNG Limited Partnership (25%); PetroChina Company Limited, through its subsidiary PetroChina Canada Limited (15%); Mitsubishi Corporation, through its subsidiary Diamond LNG Canada Ltd. (15%); and Korea Gas Corporation, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Kogas Canada LNG Ltd (5%). It is operated through LNG Canada Development Inc.
