Greenship
Join us on November 19, 2026, in Vancouver, BC. GreenShip convenes a diverse cross-section of industry stakeholders, from ship owners, terminal operators, technology suppliers, regulators and academia. Network with top maritime decision makers and executives in an intimate and functional venue, and benefit from hearing relevant and pragmatic content that will help you meet your decarbonization goals.
Register here: https://vmcclimate.ca/greenship-2026
Looking forward to seeing you at the event!
Hydrogen Freight Ecosystems: Supporting the Next Generation of Port Operations
Wednesday, October, 2026
12:00–1:00 PM PST
Session Topic
As ports and supply chains work to reduce emissions, hydrogen offers a practical solution for decarbonizing freight movement both within and beyond the port. This presentation will highlight how HTEC and Harbour Link have partnered to deploy Metro Vancouver's first hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucking operations, demonstrating how clean freight can support port and drayage activities. Attendees will learn how integrating vehicles, refuelling infrastructure, and freight operations can help build a more sustainable logistics ecosystem for the region.
Speaker:
Rob Stevenson
HTEC
Director of Leasing Operations
Rob Stevenson is the Director of Leasing Operations at HTEC, where he supports the adoption of zero-emission heavy-duty transportation across Metro Vancouver. Through HTEC Vehicle Leasing Corporation, he oversees the deployment of Class 7 and 8 hydrogen fuel cell trucks to commercial fleet operators.
With more than 25 years of experience in manufacturing and product development, Rob brings deep expertise in guiding organizations from concept through commercialization. His background spans operations management, innovation, and market development, with a focus on delivering scalable solutions that drive efficiency and support sustainable growth.
Prior to joining HTEC, Rob held senior leadership roles at Loop Energy, including Vice President, Global Technical Services, where he supported the scale-up and deployment of fuel cell systems.
Speaker:
Gary Brar
Harbour Link
Director of Transportation Services
Gary Brar is Director, Transportation Services at Harbour Link Container Services Inc. (HLCSI), a Delta-based drayage, off-dock and transloading provider serving the Vancouver Gateway. With more than 16 years in logistics and transportation, Gary leads the operations behind Harbour Link's two Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell tractors, which entered daily port drayage service in spring 2026. A recognized voice in BC's trucking sector, he serves on the Board of Directors of the British Columbia Trucking Association (BCTA), chairs its Intermodal Committee, and represents the BCTA on the Office of the BC Container Trucking Commissioner's Industry Advisory Committee.
State & Future of Maritime Fuels in BC
Register here: Home | State & Future of Maritime Fuels in BC
This is a space-limited and ticketed event.
A one day workshop & networking event on the decarbonization of marine transportation and the development of a Clean Maritime Fuels Hub in British Columbia.
Hosts/Partners: UBC, VMCC, Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC)
The event is an official kick off to the Greenship conference, find out more here: GreenShip 2026 — Vancouver Maritime Centre for Climate
3GA Marine is Moving Beyond the Theoretical: Lessons from Vessel and Charging Feasibility Studies
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
12:00–1:00 PM PST
Session Topic
This presentation highlights the electrification of marine vessels and the critical role of BC Hydro electrification studies in supporting this transition. We will review the drivers behind marine electrification, including emissions reduction, operating cost savings and regulatory compliance. The presentation will summarize the technical and economic findings of the electrification studies, including shore power requirements, vessel performance and project implementation as a result of the studies.
Speaker:
Mark Ballon
Electrical Engineer, EIT
3GA Marine Ltd.
Mark has supported multiple low-carbon marine electrification projects for marine vessel operators in British Columbia, including electrification studies, funding support to overcome capital investment barriers and collaboration with industry partners. Notable projects include electrification assessments for Tymac Launch Services, Seaspan Ferries, CIRQL Ferries and BC Hydro's Power Barge studies. his work focuses on evaluating vessel energy requirements, battery systems, charging infrastructure, grid integration, operational performance, cost analysis and emissions reductions to support a data-driven basis for investment and project development.
Organization:
3GA Marine Ltd.
3GA Marine is a naval architecture and marine engineering firm delivering vessel design, retrofit, electrification and project delivery services for vessel owners, operators, shipyards and government agencies. The company provides support from feasibility studies and concept design through detailed engineering, construction support and commissioning. Recognized as a leader in marine decarbonization, 3GA has delivered innovative hybrid and fully electric vessel projects, shore charging infrastructure and fleet electrification strategies in partnership with organizations including BC Hydro, Transport Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard and the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation.
Decarbonizing Our Waters: The Shore-Side of Marine Electrification
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
12:00–1:00 PM PST
Marine decarbonization can't happen on the water alone, it starts at the dock. Before vessels can electrify, the shore-side electrical infrastructure that powers and charges them must become safe, intelligent, and scalable. Today, that layer is largely legacy: aging, hard to monitor, and a real source of fire, shock, and corrosion risk.
This session looks at how electrified, data-driven shore-side infrastructure turns docks and ports from passive energy consumers into active, managed energy assets, supporting emissions reduction, safety, and operational resilience. Drawing on real deployments across British Columbia and California, VoltSafe will share what the transition actually looks like where it's being proven today, and the architecture carrying it toward commercial vessels, tugboats, and port infrastructure.
Speaker:
Trevor Burgess
VoltSafe Inc.
Co-Founder & CEO
Trevor and his team at VoltSafe are bringing marina shore power design into the 21st century. As marina power demands continue to rise, having integrated tech that is smart by design means smart power delivery at every slip will soon become a marina must, but it doesn’t need to be complicated nor expensive. VoltSafe’s integrated hardware and software turns every slip into a revenue-generating asset with automated billing, real-time monitoring, and safer power delivery.
A 3x entrepreneur with two exits and an Executive MBA from Cornell and Queen’s, Trevor is helping marinas meet rising EV demands with electrification that’s smart, seamless, and built for the future. Trevor loves spending his spare time out on the water with his wife and two daughters. As an avid boater himself, he understands firsthand the need for innovation that improves safety, efficiency, and the overall boating experience.
What we'll cover:
Why the shore-side electrical layer is the overlooked bottleneck in marine decarbonization
The operational, financial, and safety pressures facing marine operators today
How smart, metered, connection-aware infrastructure reduces risk and unlocks load and demand-side management
The shift from energy expense to energy asset
Real deployments: Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, multiple Port of San Diego marinas, and Canada's Ocean Supercluster (CEPAC)
The honest roadmap: from marina-proven shore power to dual-mode vessel charging and the future of bidirectional, grid-aware energy
The session includes dedicated time for Q&A for port authorities, vessel operators, and maritime stakeholders focused on practical, deployable steps toward decarbonizing marine operations across BC and beyond.
UBC Sailbot - Autonomous Sailboats
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
12:00–1:00 PM PST
The Sailbot team specializes in building small and medium-sized autonomous sailboats, handling everything from design and construction, to system integration and testing. UBC SailBot has a rich history and tradition since its founding in 2002.
As passionate engineering students from all backgrounds, they strive to challenge engineering boundaries by designing reliable autonomous sailboats. Sailbot provides unique opportunities for students to develop their technical experience in an interdisciplinary environment, along with teamwork and leadership skills, all while contributing to innovations in the field of marine engineering.
Speaker
Pawan Daliaho | Team Captain
Pawan is a 4th-year Engineering Physics student and current captain of UBC Sailbot. He joined the electrical division of the team nearly three years ago and has worked on the design, construction, integration, and testing of the team's current project, POLARIS, the third vessel being developed by the project teams.
Monthly Speaker Series | The Race to 2050: Evaluating Alternative Fuels
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
12:00–1:00 PM PST
The race to 2050: A Scenario-Based Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Alternative Fuels for International Marine Transportation
Green Shipping Corridors are gaining momentum as a practical pathway to accelerate maritime decarbonization and support the IMO’s 2050 goals. At the University of Victoria, our research explores how British Columbia can develop these corridors by linking available alternative fuels, ship operations, port infrastructure, fuel demand, and regional energy capacity. As part of this broader project, this webinar will present our evaluation of next-generation marine fuels under different scenarios and discuss what the results suggest for the future of low-carbon shipping in the region, offering insights to support effective planning among regional stakeholders.
Speaker
Saeid Hassankhani Dolatabadi
Saied is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Victoria (UVic), Canada, with a professional journey that began at sea and evolved into research on the future of clean maritime transport. He spent nearly six years working as a marine engineer on ocean-going vessels, where daily operational challenges shaped his perspective on energy efficiency and emissions, before completing a Master’s degree in Maritime Energy Management at the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, Sweden.
At UVic, Saied’s research focuses on maritime decarbonization and the development of Green Shipping Corridors (GSCs) for British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. His work is at the interface of alternative marine fuel evaluation, ship operations, port infrastructure, and regional energy capacity, linking corridor-level energy demand with port readiness and fuel supply capability and aims to deliver practical, evidence-based, and decision-ready insights to help ports, operators, and policymakers move from ambition to implementation.
His research is funded by the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) through the Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions (MECS) of British Columbia
Monthly Speaker Series | DNV: Wind Assisted Propulsion Systems
Presentation Recap
Wind was the primary source of propulsion in ships until it was displaced by steam in the 19th century. Efforts to decarbonize shipping has led to a renewed interest in wind, driving new innovations.
Jan Hagen highlighted five types of WAPS systems and their current market environment. From a decarbonization perspective, DNV’s research found that modern wind-assisted propulsion systems can reduce fuel burn and emissions by up to 30%. However, there are many technical and operational considerations – both vessel and routings – that affect their impact.
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
12:00–1:00 PM PST
Wind-assisted propulsion system (WAPS) technologies have gained significant attention in the shipping industry as a means of reducing fuel consumption and emissions. These technologies harness the power of wind to supplement the propulsion of a vessel by generation of aerodynamic forces. They have the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of shipping operations and make a meaningful contribution to the decarbonization of the industry, as wind is an inexhaustible, free, zero-carbon energy source.
Speaker
Jan Hagen Andersen
Regional Decarbonization and Business Development Director, DNV Maritime
Monthly Speaker Series | Ports and Shipping Advancing Clean Fuels
Wednesday, February 18
12:00–1:00 PM PST
From Strategy to Supply: How ports and shipping are advancing clean fuels. This webinar will be online-only and open to all. Topics will include port strategy, shipping and corridors, and new market creation.
Moderator
Juvarya Veltkamp, Senior Advisor at C40 Cities
Juvarya is a global leader in climate action and sustainable finance with three decades of experience driving transformative change. At C40 Cities, she leads the Green Ports Forum — a worldwide alliance of ports and cities working together to cut emissions, scale clean fuels, and shape the future of climate-aligned trade.
Speaker
Lisa Wunder, Port of LA, Director, Environmental Management Division
Lisa Wunder is the Acting Director of Environmental Management at the Port of Los Angeles. In this role, Wunder is responsible for balancing ecological sustainability and social responsibility with commerce and growth at the nation’s busiest container port. She supervises the operation of the Environmental Management Division, which provides comprehensive environmental services for air and water quality, biological resources and wildlife management, hazardous materials and site remediation, and environmental assessments, in accordance with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) guidelines.
Speaker
Øistein Jensen, ODFJELL, Chief Sustainability Officer
Øistein Jensen is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Odfjell SE. He was previously Chief of Staff at Odfjell and was appointed to CSO in August 2020 as a part of the company’s dedicated focus on sustainability. Øistein has been part of Executive Management in the group since 2016. He was in 2021 elected as a board member and in 2025 Chair of Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN).
Speaker
Ryann Child, Port of Seattle, Senior Environmental Program Manager
Ryann Child (she/her) is a Senior Environmental Program Manager at the Port of Seattle where she designs and implements programs to reduce air and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from maritime operations. Ryann leads the Port’s air and GHG emissions accounting and developed its first-ever Maritime Climate and Air Action Plan. She also manages the Pacific Northwest to Alaska Green Corridor initiative—a multi-stakeholder partnership exploring zero-GHG emission cruise travel to Alaska.
Monthly Speaker Series | Navigating Nuclear Energy in Maritime Sectors
Presenter: Peter Wallace
Lloyd’s Register
Principal Engineer, Risk & Regulatory Advisory
Peter is a leader of high-performance technical teams and a practicing naval architect with experience in the maritime and offshore industry in design, operations, asset integrity, risk management, and technology. Presently, he provides advisory services at a principal engineer level in both marine and offshore areas. He’s a member of LR’s leadership team for the nuclear maritime and offshore program.
Monthly Speaker Series | Emissions Reduction: Utilizing & Collecting Data
Speaker: Jeremy Rochussen
Jeremy Rochussen is a research engineer working in UBC’s Mechanical Engineering Department and the program manager for UBC’s Urban Freight System Emissions program. His current research focus is on improving the fidelity and utility of real-world measurement methods and datasets collected from in-use heavy-duty transport systems (on-road, rail, maritime). He has over 10 years of experience conducting laboratory and field experimental studies on the combustion and emissions of alternative fuels.
Topic: Emissions Reduction: Utilizing & Collecting Data
Urban freight systems operate in dense population centers, where their activities contribute to both greenhouse-gas emissions and local air-quality impacts. However, the real-world behaviour of trucks, trains, and marine vessels often differs markedly from standardized duty cycles. This renders conventional laboratory or steady-state emission factors unreliable and motivates the development of new approaches to emissions characterization. UBC’s Urban Freight Emissions Program addresses this gap by developing measurement techniques and generating actionable datasets that capture how freight systems actually operate in urban environments.
This presentation examines GHG and air-pollutant emissions using real on-board data collected from biofuel (B50, B100) and LNG-powered vessels operating in the Salish Sea. It will also highlight the development of measurement methods and performance metrics for collecting, interpreting, and comparing in-use emissions. Results show how off-cycle vessel behaviour and fuel properties shape NOx, black carbon, and GHG emissions, and why credible assessments require continuous, real-world datasets rather than single emission factors.
CIRQL Ferries - VMCC Speaker Series
Hear from CIRQL Ferries’ leadership team about their journey to date as they seek to launch BC’s first fully-electric passenger ferry service.
Charting the Course: What’s next for Vancouver Maritime Centre for Climate
Event Highlights
Keynote Market Update: Paul Blomerus, from Clear Seas, will deliver a presentation on global and regional maritime decarbonization trends, outlining key developments, opportunities, and challenges shaping the industry.
VMCC Strategic Update - A presentation from VMCC leadership unveiling the reinvigorated strategy and sharing an updated calendar of upcoming initiatives and events designed to accelerate industry transformation.
About VMCC
The Vancouver Maritime Centre for Climate (VMCC) is an industry-led non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the decarbonization of the maritime industry. VMCC focuses on being an aggregator, accelerator, and amplifier of the maritime decarbonization ecosystem in British Columbia.
Why Attend
Gain insight into the latest market and policy trends in maritime decarbonization.
Connect with peers and leaders committed to maritime decarbonization in the Province
Learn about what’s next for VMCC and how you can get involved.
GreenShip 2023
North America’s only conference focused on maritime shipping and transportation decarbonization.
2nd Year Anniversary
Celebrate with us! Join us at our annual cocktail reception on Thursday May 11th, 2023, at Earls Loft, Yaletown. Tickets available now! See you there!
HullWiper Event
Discover how innovative technology can keep oceans clean and green at this private networking event. Wednesday February 22nd 2023 at Steamworks Brewpub in Gastown.
GreenShip 2022 Conference
The Vancouver Maritime Centre for Climate is thrilled to convene the first annual GreenShip 2022—held at the beautiful SFU Harbour Centre in Vancouver, Canada on Tuesday, November 29th. This year's only conference in Canada focused exclusively on maritime shipping and transport decarbonization.
Online Webinar: Low Carbon Fuels Act and Federal Clean Fuel Regulations for the Marine Sector
Low Carbon Fuels Act and Federal Clean Fuel Regulations as it pertains to decarbonizing the maritime sector.
Spring Webinar Series: Green Shipping Corridors: Decarbonizing the Ocean’s Transportation Highways
Green Shipping Corridors: Decarbonizing the Ocean’s Transportation Highways
Cheers to VMCC
Thank you for joining us! Photos will be posted soon.
If you’d like to get updates, please join our mailing list.
Winter 2022 Member Roundtable
VMCC Winter Member Roundtable
Join us for the first Member Roundtable of 2022, with special guest speaker, Lee Kindberg, Head of Environment & Sustainability for Maersk, North America. Lee will be speaking on Maritime Decarbonization Strategies with a focus on fuels and metrics.
Following Lee, VMCC will provide an update on;
Projects & Plans for 2022
Update from the Work Groups
Green Shipping Strategy Development
Operation Flagship Challenges & Partnering Opportunities
Ways to Engage with VMCC
This event is open to VMCC members and industry at large, you can register by following the link below,
Proceedings
Guest Speaker
Lee Kindberg is Head of Environment and Sustainability for Maersk in North America, responsible for vessel compliance and initiatives, stakeholder outreach and customer support on supply chain sustainability in North America.
Dr. Kindberg currently serves on the Marine Board of the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine and the Transportation Research Board’s Standing Committee on Marine Environment. She served on the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Act Advisory Committee and Mobile Source Technical Review Subcommittee and co-chaired the EPA Ports Workgroup from 2014-2016. She is also active in Business for Social Responsibility’s Clean Cargo Group, a global group dedicated to assessing and improving the environmental impact of shipping. Dr. Kindberg received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Alabama and a Doctorate in Chemistry from the University of South Carolina. She completed the Competent Boards Certificate program and was granted their Global Competent Board Designation (GCB.D) in January 2020. (https://competentboards.com/ ). She has an extensive background in the chemical industry, where she was Director of Government Relations & Environmental Science for the Hoechst Celanese Fibers & Specialty Chemicals Groups. She was active in national and state industry groups and served on the Boards of several state chemical and industry associations. She joined Maersk in 2005.
VMCC Networking Event
Interested to see how an in-person networking event happens in the midst of a global pandemic? Ready to start dressing from the waist down? We promise we won’t disappoint! Join us for some mask wearing, elbow bumping good fun as we get to know one another live, at VMCC’s first in person networking event!
VMCC will follow Provincial Health Orders for this event. This includes limiting the number of attendees, checking guests proof of vaccination and ensuring all guests are safe by requiring a mask indoors when not seated. Guests are welcome to remove their masks while seated and while enjoying food and beverages.
VMCC Members - Free
non-Members - $40
Space is limited, so be sure to sign up now.
VMCC Pitch Event
Operation Flagship is at the heart of VMCC's operations. Designed to pair innovators with site hosts, this final session will give applicants the chance to pitch directly to regional ship owners, terminal operators and other asset owners along the supply chain, for a chance to pilot their technology on site.
The panellists for this event include,
Roy Kristensen, Director of Engineering, Global Container Terminals (GCT) Canada
Daryl Lawes, Environment Manager, Seaspan ULC
Michael Lowry, Senior Communications Manager, Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC)
Donald Grant, CEO, Ocean Startup Project at Innovacorp
This will be an exciting conclusion to the mini-forum, with a focus on setting the decarbonization ball in motion!
Guests are welcome to register by following the link below.
Financing the Green Transition
Starting with a quick update on COP26, this session will transition to discussion from speakers who will focus on the nuts of bolts of financing decarbonization capital projects.
Register by clicking the button below.
Innovators Showcase
The innovators showcase will feature innovators looking to push the limits of decarbonization in the maritime and shipping industry. With a focus on innovators thinking ahead of the decarbonization curve, VMCC has sourced speakers from Europe and North America for this engaging same day, two-part series.
8:00-10:00hrs - European Innovators
The early morning session will feature innovators from Europe.
10:30-12:30hrs - Domestic Innovators
The mid-morning session will feature innovators from across North America.
Guests are welcome to register by clicking the button below.
Ship Owners Summit
VMCC recognizes that sharing experience and bench marking is an important part of vessel operations, but not always possible due to busy schedules. To help ship owners over come this barrier, we are proud to be hosting our first annual Ship Owners Summit.
This is a chance for ship owners to come together and discuss challenges, lessons learned and experience with decarbonization tech outside of the spotlight and in a private setting.
Interested in attending? Email info@vmcclimate.ca to learn more.
To attend email info@vmcclimate.ca
Member Welcome & Information Event
Originally a hybrid event, the Member Welcome & Information session is now online! Join us for this VMCC members-only event to hear from VMCC’s Executive Director about the organizations operations, work group updates and a tour of the member portal.
