Port of Vancouver Discussion

[Capitol Hill]

Originally Posted by officedweller

When I took a cruise from Seattle in 2011, it stopped in Victoria, as the international port, not Vancouver, then went outside Vancouver Island, not through the inside passage.
Not sure if that US law requiring an international stop is still in effect.

It is.

[jollyburger]

I wonder how the whole tariff war will play out with the cruise ship industry.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by officedweller

When I took a cruise from Seattle in 2011, it stopped in Victoria, as the international port, not Vancouver, then went outside Vancouver Island, not through the inside passage.
Not sure if that US law requiring an international stop is still in effect.

Yes the Jones Act is still in effect. I'm not sure if going west of Vancouver Island would be more a function of the amount of traffic? I've seen the same ship go through the Inside Passage and use the less desirable western route on their next sailing.

Not having the ship based in Vancouver makes us lose out on the ancillary hotel room and restaurant spends. Sure, some people just fly in and fly out the same days as their sailings but a lot will stay. This is versus Victoria which maybe gets some trinket shop revenue on a port call or a bus tour to Butchart.

[officedweller]

Yeah, it was really boring going on the outside of Vancouver Island, and no cell service.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Yes the Jones Act is still in effect. I'm not sure if going west of Vancouver Island would be more a function of the amount of traffic? I've seen the same ship go through the Inside Passage and use the less desirable western route on their next sailing.

Not having the ship based in Vancouver makes us lose out on the ancillary hotel room and restaurant spends. Sure, some people just fly in and fly out the same days as their sailings but a lot will stay. This is versus Victoria which maybe gets some trinket shop revenue on a port call or a bus tour to Butchart.

They said it's the Passenger Vessel Services Act (the Jones Act only applies to merchant ships)

https://www.reddit.com/r/Cruise/comments/1387q0u/how_do_alaskahawaii_cruises_bypass_the_jones_act/

It seems like some ships used to go up the Inside Passage and down the west side on the return voyage.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic...il-on-the-west-side-of-vancouver-island/

[jollyburger]

I assume they aren't doing it in port because of the risks even though they might be tiny.



Seaspan LNG bunkering out in English Bay

https://www.biv.com/news/transportation/seaspan-marks-first-lng-bunkering-10371244

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Yeah, it was really boring going on the outside of Vancouver Island, and no cell service.

It can also be a lot rougher.

[jollyburger]

Megamax cranes almost ready for duty on the Delta waterfront

Two lumbering leviathans with Herculean strength have arrived from across the Pacific, and will be inching into Global Container Terminals Deltaport on Saturday.

The behemoths, which are part a $170-modernization project, can move mountains of containers from ships to rail cars and on to a waiting continent.

The pair of state-of-the-art structures, 52 metres high, were made in Shanghai, China, and are the first of six that GCT is bringing over in the next two years.

The ship-to-shore cranes fit into the Megamax category, which in maritime terms, is the biggest of the big.

“These are some of the largest, most technologically advanced cranes in the world. And they’ll be able to handle the largest vessels in the world and that’s what we call the Megamax crane,” explained Daniel Howell, chief operating officer with GCT. “Which is really good for us. It gives us a tremendous amount of flexibility and whatever our customers want to throw at us, we’re going to be able to manage that.”

The new cranes are the same height as the two tallest cranes currently at the port and will be able to handle any ship at any of the three berths at GCT Deltaport.

The new cranes will be operated remotely, by video camera, in the same way rail cars are now loaded at the terminal.

Two other cranes are also ready be converted to remote operation.

“From a safety perspective, it’s a much safer operation,” he said.

Employees were also involved in designing the cranes to be safer.

The cranes moved across the ocean fully assembled on a specially designed ship. The steel structure is Chinese made but the operating systems are made in Sweden.

The next four new cranes arrive at Deltaport over the next two years.

https://www.biv.com/news/transportation/...or-duty-on-the-delta-waterfront-10534347

The other cranes are headed to Mexico

https://www.instagram.com/zpmc_latin/p/DIBUyUExzvm/

[jollyburger]

From last month

The port submitted a Species at Risk Act-compliant Fisheries Act Authorization in October 2024.

Xotta said the port will then be able to make a final investment decision, and is projecting sometime in 2028 when construction would start on the project.

The latest timeline by the port has the project starting operations in the mid-2030s.

According to the port authority, it has determined that the Canada Place cruise ship terminal is the best option to support Vancouver’s cruise needs for the foreseeable future, so it is no longer advancing work for a second terminal site on the Fraser River.

The focus is on continuing to invest in Canada Place to increase its operating capacity to meet future industry demand and enhance guest experience, as Alaska continues to be a healthy and vibrant cruise market, according to the port.

The port had been looking into the feasibility of building a new cruise ship terminal in Delta on the banks of the Fraser River, already having conducted a preliminary analysis looking at potential sites in Delta or Richmond.

It was an analysis that was driven by growth in cruise volumes and cruise lines using bigger vessels that can’t travel under the Lions Gate Bridge.

The port says it has concluded work with industry, destination and government partners that started in early 2021 looking into building a new cruise terminal outside of Burrard Inlet.

Xotta said the constraints of operating a terminal on the river was a factor in the decision to refocus on Canada Place, recognizing that facility has a limitation with the air draft under the Lions Gate Bridge for bigger ships.

He added the search for another location won’t stop, but it remains to be seen what other candidate sites will be considered.

https://www.delta-optimist.com/local-new...ruise-ship-terminal-port-grants-10367199

[Migrant_Coconut]

Seems like a no-brainer - doesn't matter how big or fancy the ship is, Tsawwassen's just a really bad spot for passengers.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

Seems like a no-brainer - doesn't matter how big or fancy the ship is, Tsawwassen's just a really bad spot for passengers.

Maybe if they started a study into developing a cruise port off Siwash Rock then the heads of all the Parks Board members would explode and rid us of another problem...

[Migrant_Coconut]

Unironically, if civil engineers are already talking about floating airports, a floating seaport (which doesn't need to carry the weight of hundreds of planes) seems crazy enough to work.

Only problem is figuring out where to put it without somebody throwing a fit.

[jollyburger]

Jericho Beach with an underground shuttle to the Skytrain station.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Jericho Beach with an underground shuttle to the Skytrain station.

Even better - a suspended monorail from Jericho Beach to the Skytrain station!

[mcj]

Everyone loved the Barge in English Bay a few years ago, why not throw it there? /s

[MalcolmTucker]

cheaper to rebuild the Lions Gate I'd bet, especially since we should do it already for seismic and to have both supports on land. .

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

cheaper to rebuild the Lions Gate I'd bet, especially since we should do it already for seismic and to have both supports on land. .

As far as I can recall, the Lions Gate Bridge did get seismic upgrades when the main deck was replaced (and possibly additional work since then). As for a replacement, odds are it will have to fall down before that happens based on the reactions to previous proposals.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by Tvisforme

As far as I can recall, the Lions Gate Bridge did get seismic upgrades when the main deck was replaced (and possibly additional work since then). As for a replacement, odds are it will have to fall down before that happens based on the reactions to previous proposals.

I find it rather interesting that both the Pattullo and Lion's Gate bridges are the same age (within a year). One is certainly faring a lot better than the other.

The Lion's Gate deck replacement program was doubtless a big factor in the bridge's longevity. It was an amazing engineering accomplishment, I think of it as somewhat akin to replacing the engines on a Boeing 747 while it was was in flight.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

I find it rather interesting that both the Pattullo and Lion's Gate bridges are the same age (within a year). One is certainly faring a lot better than the other.

The Lion's Gate deck replacement program was doubtless a big factor in the bridge's longevity. It was an amazing engineering accomplishment, I think of it as somewhat akin to replacing the engines on a Boeing 747 while it was was in flight.

The deck replacement was like 60% of the cost of doing a new 4 lane cable stayed bridge so it wasn't cheap.

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by aberdeen5698

...The Lion's Gate deck replacement program was doubtless a big factor in the bridge's longevity. It was an amazing engineering accomplishment, I think of it as somewhat akin to replacing the engines on a Boeing 747 while it was was in flight.

I found it fascinating to watch them at work (image is from a North Shore News article):



You may already know this, but American Bridge (the company involved with the LGB project) went on to handle a similar project on the Angus Macdonald Bridge between Halifax and Dartmouth in the mid-2010s:

American Bridge: Lions Gate Bridge Rehabilitation

American Bridge: Angus Macdonald Bridge Suspended Spans Deck Replacement