Seaspan Energy, the first and only company to provide ship-to-ship liquified natural gas (LNG) refueling service at the Port of Long Beach, continues to chalk up the milestones. On June 12, the company successfully completed its first ship-to-ship LNG transfer to a Ro-Ro vessel in Port waters when the Seaspan Baker refueled the Plumeria Leader, an LNG-powered pure car and truck carrier operated by NYK Line. The transfer comes on the heels of Seaspan Energy’s first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering of a tanker in Port waters in May and its first ship-to-ship LNG transfer ever in December.

“We are extremely proud to achieve this significant milestone as the first company to complete a ship-to-ship LNG bunkering of a pure car carrier in the Port of Long Beach,” said Harly Penner, President of Seaspan Energy, in a news release issued after the June 12 transfer. “This accomplishment is a testament to the hard work and collaboration of our team, NYK, and the Port of Long Beach. And we look forward to expanding our service on the West Coast of North America.”

“This milestone reflects our strong commitment to decarbonizing the maritime sector,” said Kaori Takahashi, General Manager, Fuel Group, NYK Line, in the same release. “Collaborating with partners such as Seaspan Energy allows us to advance low-carbon fuel solutions and deliver on our environmental goals while ensuring operational excellence.”

In its Clean Marine Fuels White Paper released in early 2025, the Port describes LNG as a frontrunner among low-carbon or clean marine fuels that burn “cleaner than traditional marine fuels, producing few sulfur oxides and particulate matter.” Seaspan Energy reports that LNG marine fuel reduces particulate, nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide emissions by more than 90% and lowers greenhouse gas emissions as much as 27%.

Qualifying vessel operators that deploy the greenest ships to the Port of Long Beach are eligible for financial rewards under the Port’s Green Ship Incentive Program. Increasing the number of vessel calls of ships that run on cleaner burning marine fuels advances the Port’s larger pollution reduction goals under its Green Port Policy and the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan.

Headquartered in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Seaspan Energy is a part of Seaspan Marine, a group of Canadian companies that are primarily involved in ship assist, coastal and deep-sea transportation, ferry services and fuel bunkering on the West Coast of North America. Seaspan Energy continues to provide at-berth ship-to-ship LNG refueling service to ships calling at the Port of Long Beach and is the Post’s only such supplier to date.

Source: Port of Long Beach