Celebrating environmental leadership at the Port of Vancouver with Blue Circle Awards

Almost 30 terminals, tenants, marine operators, and cruise and shipping lines recognized for helping Canada to more sustainably move more trade

Vancouver, B.C., June 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is proud to celebrate this year’s Blue Circle Awards recipients for their environmental leadership and success enabling Canada to move trade while protecting the environment.

The annual Blue Circle Awards recognize Port of Vancouver terminals, tenants, marine operators, and cruise and shipping lines for their work reducing air emissions and underwater noise, and conserving energy. Reducing underwater noise from ships calling the port is a key initiative to help protect at-risk whales in local waters.

“Those operating at the Port of Vancouver are showing that growing trade and environmental leadership can go hand in hand,” said Peter Xotta, President and CEO of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. “Our Blue Circle Awards recognize port partners who are embracing environmentally responsible trade and driving real progress. The work the port community is pioneering today to move more goods and people in a more sustainable way will benefit us all for generations to come.”

This year’s Blue Circle Awards include:

12 terminals and tenants recognized for conserving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including electrification of terminal equipment, switching vehicles to EVs and replacing lights with lower-energy LEDs.
10 cruise and shipping lines, and five coastal marine operators recognized for measures to reduce emissions and underwater noise, such as connecting to shore power, using alternative fuels and technologies like wind propulsion and battery-electric power, or installing propeller technologies that reduce underwater noise.
Two organizations received a Special Mention for demonstrating early adoption of innovative actions or technologies:
- BC Ferries, for adopting a propulsion system that reduces underwater-radiated noise at slow speeds as part of fleet replacement work.
- Princess Cruises, for collaborating with the port authority to measure underwater-radiated noise reduction benefits of a new air lubrication system its ships have adopted to reduce air emissions and improve fuel efficiency.

The Blue Circle Awards were launched in 2009 and recognize Port of Vancouver operators and customers with the highest participation in the port authority’s EcoAction and Energy Action programs.

The EcoAction Program rewards shipping and cruise lines, and marine operators for taking measures to reduce their environmental footprint. Almost one-third of eligible calls to the Port of Vancouver qualify each year and receive harbour dues discounts for measures that reduce greenhouse gas and air contaminant emissions, and underwater noise.

The Energy Action Program, run in partnership with BC Hydro, helps terminal operators and port tenants advance energy management projects, including supporting work to switch equipment from fossil fuels to electric, generate on-site renewable electricity, and better manage facility electrical load using battery storage systems. The program has helped implement more than 100 energy management projects across port lands to date—saving more than 144 gigawatt-hours of electrical energy (enough to power more than 16,600 houses a year).

The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s largest and most diversified port, handling 40-cents in every $1 of Canadian trade beyond North America. Its terminals and tenants will play a vital role supporting federal efforts to double non-U.S. exports over the next decade.

Blue Circle Award highlights

Pacific Coast Terminal (PCT), IntermodeX and d’Amico Tankers are among the first-time recipients of a Blue Circle Award this year.
Princess Cruises has been recognized a total of 16 times including a Special Mention this year.
Swire Shipping (formerly Westwood Shipping) has received an award almost every year since 2009 and has a total of 15 awards.
Evergreen Line has received an award for 11 consecutive years since 2015.
Disney Cruise Line has received a Blue Circle Award every year it has homeported in Vancouver.
Holland America Line has received a total of 12 awards.
BC Ferries, Saam Smit Towage and Seaspan Marine have received an award every year since a Coastal Marine Operators category was introduced in 2017, while North Arm Transportation has received one every year since 2018.
The Cascadia and Pacific Elevators terminals have received the most Energy Action awards, being recognized almost every year since the Energy Action Management Program's inception in 2017.

Blue Circle Award recipients

Cruise Line Operators

Disney Cruise Line
Holland America Line
Princess Cruises

Shipping Lines

d’Amico Tankers
Evergreen Line
MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company
Pacific Basin Shipping
Swire Shipping
Teekay
TORM

Coastal Marine Operators

BC Ferries
SAAM Towage Canada
Seaspan Marine
North Arm Transportation Ltd.
Tymac Launch Service

Energy Action Program

DP World Vancouver (Centerm)
DP World Fraser Surrey
GCT Global Container Terminals
IntermodeX
Neptune Terminals
Pacific Coast Terminal (PCT)
Seaspan Shipyards
SSA Marine Canada (Lynnterm)
Cascadia Port Management Corporation (Cascadia Terminal)
Bunge Canada – Pacific Elevators
Wallenius Wilhelmsen (Annacis Auto Terminal)

Special Mentions

BC Ferries: Fleet replacement initiatives that incorporate a change in propulsion system design specifically engineered to reduce underwater-radiated noise at slow speeds.
Princess Cruises: Adoption of air lubrication systems that reduce air emissions and improve fuel efficiency, and collaborating with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority to measure and quantify the benefits of air lubrication system operation on underwater-radiated noise.

About the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and the Port of Vancouver

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is the arm's-length federal agency that stewards the lands and waters that make up the Port of Vancouver, alongside the enduring stewardship of First Nations. As a Canada Port Authority, it is accountable to the federal Minister of Transport and operates pursuant to the Canada Marine Act. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s purpose is to enable Canada’s trade through the Port of Vancouver by being reliable and innovative, while protecting the environment. The port authority is structured as a non-share corporation, with revenues from port terminals and tenants who lease port lands, and from port users who pay various fees such as harbour dues. Revenues are reinvested in port operating services and infrastructure.

The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s gateway to diverse markets, enabling trade of approximately $365 billion every year with 170 countries. Located on the southwest coast of British Columbia in Canada, its 29 major deep-water terminals and more than 1,000 tenants move goods and people across five sectors (auto, bulk, breakbulk, container and cruise). The port is made up of approximately 16,000 ha of water, 1,500 ha of land and 350 km of shoreline, extending across Burrard Inlet, Fraser River and Roberts Bank. It borders 16 municipalities and intersects the traditional territories and treaty lands of more than 35 Coast Salish First Nations. The Port of Vancouver is the fourth largest port in North America by tonnage and handles almost as much cargo as Canada’s next five largest ports combined. Port operations sustain more than 132,000 supply chain and related jobs across Canada.

Attachment

Blue Circle Awards

Alex Munro
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
6043408617
Alex.Munro@portvancouver.com

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