1. Home
  2. In the community

Stewards of the sea

Since becoming an independent company in 2003, we have worked hard to reduce our footprint and stay true to our goals for environmental performance.

In 2014, we joined Green Marine—a voluntary environmental certification program for the North American marine transportation industry—for all of our ferries and terminals. In 2017, we expanded our certification to include our fleet maintenance facility.

Green Marine aims to reduce the environmental footprint of marine operators by promoting a culture of continuous improvement and going above and beyond regulatory standards. We aim to continually improve our sustainability efforts and are proud of how far we've come.



{media1}

Latest metrics and Green Marine results

To share our progress in reducing our footprint, we publish our sustainability metrics and Green Marine results yearly.

Our sustainability metrics include waste management, CO2 emissions, spills and leakages, and shore power.
View fiscal year 2022 metrics*View Green Marine results
Two BC Ferries employees picking up waste on beach

* BC Ferries' fiscal year is from April 1st – March 31st
 

Environmental leadership awards

In 2021 we were honoured with:
  • Blue Circle Award from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
In 2021 and 2022 we were honoured with:
  • Green Wave Award from the Prince Rupert Port Authority
The Blue Circle Award recognizes industry partners that excel in environmental stewardship and attain the highest level of participation in the port authority’s EcoAction Program and Energy Action Initiative.

The Green Wave Award acknowledges outstanding participation in the Green Wave environmental incentive program.
{media1}
{media1}

Long-term plans

From ship to shore, we've made significant progress in reducing our impact on the coastal B.C. environment, but we still have work to do. Check out some of our long-term plans:

View the Clean Futures plan

View the Underwater Radiated Noise Mitigation plan

Energy management

With a goal to reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency, we're proudly partnered with BC Hydro and FortisBC. Here's what we've been working on:


BC Hydro

We've been partners with BC Hydro in energy management since 2008. Under this partnership, we regularly engage BC Hydro to increase energy efficiency and take advantage of opportunities for low carbon electrification.
 

FortisBC

We work with FortisBC to adopt lower carbon fuels for ships, starting with the Salish class—the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) ferries in the fleet. FortisBC's low carbon energy solutions (such as energy efficiency and conservation, natural gas for transportation and renewable natural gas) will be essential to help us reach our climate action objectives.


{media1}

{media1}

Sail along with us

See other environmental and social initiatives that are making a difference in our local communities.
 
Painting a colorful seascape mural at BC Ferries’ Langdale Terminal, Sunshine Coast

Upcoming and ongoing projects

Explore current projects in action, view past projects and see what’s planned for the future.

View projects 
BC Ferries shoreline clean-up Langdale

Ocean Wise Shoreline Cleanup

A global direct action program that cleans shorelines and green space in their communities.

View more 
Nicholas Sonntag Marine Education Centre

Community investment

Learn more about how we give back to the coastal communities we operate in.

See how we give back 
Very weak Weak Medium Strong Very strong password.strength.unsafepwd Too short Use %d - %m characters with a mix of any 3 [upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers & symbols] 8 32 Password must be more than eight characters and contain a mix of any three of the following: upper case letters, numbers and symbols. Password must be less than 32 characters and contain a mix of any three of the following: upper case letters, numbers and symbols. Enter current password Enter valid email address Password not valid Select account type Enter first name Enter last name Confirm Email Not Valid Password must be more than eight characters and contain a mix of any three of the following: upper case letters, numbers and symbols. Passwords do not match Enter valid postal/zip code Loading... Please wait... Stores loaded View schedule from View sailing status from Discover our routes from to