air pollution?
Cruise ships must run their engines 24/7 to provide resort amenities to passengers, even while docked. in 2025, cruise ships at Ogden Point were berthed for over 2,100 hours, emitting pollution into our air. The cruise ship terminal in Victoria is uniquely located adjacent to the residential James Bay neighbourhood of 13,000 residents with no buffer zone between the Ogden Point cruise terminal and the local community. James Bay is an ‘at risk community’ based on proximity and demographics (EPA definition). Residents have expressed concern about the impacts of cruise ship-caused air pollution on their health for years.
Do cruise ships have a history of polluting the local air?
It appears so. Air quality has been monitored in James Bay since 2006 and indicated increased sulphur dioxide (SO2) levels during the cruise seasons. In 2011, a single SO2 monitor was placed in James Bay by the Ministry of Environment. As soon as the monitor was in place, SO2 levels almost halved as the cruise lines moved the most polluting ships off the Alaska route.
What are current air emission standards for ships?
In 2012, the North American Emissions Control Area (ECA) Agreement required ships to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions to 0.1% levels. In 2020, the International Marine Organization (IMO) mandated that ships meet emission levels of 0.5% globally.
Cruise ships bound for Victoria have to meet the 0.1% standard when they are within the North American Emission Control Area - which includes Victoria. They must meet the 0.5% global requirement in Canadian waters outside of the ECA.
What was the intent of mandating lower sulphur air emissions standards?
The intent of IMO and ECA regulations was to reduce air pollution by having ships switch to use low sulphur marine gas oil (MGO) rather than cheaper heavy fuel oil (HFO). However, the IMO allows the use of Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS), also known as scrubbers, to comply with their regulations. Since the introduction of these regulations, the majority of cruise ships have installed scrubbers to continue to use cheaper heavy fuel oil.
What are scrubbers?
Ship scrubbers use seawater or freshwater to remove sulphur and other contaminants from a ship’s exhaust when heavy oil fuel is used - thus reducing emissions released into the air to comply with international SO2 air emission regulations. Scrubber wash water is often released directly into the marine environment and discharges contain pollutants such as metals, hydrocarbons, and acids. Scrubbers turn air pollution into ocean pollution.
Do scrubbers eliminate air pollution?
No. They are effective at reducing sulphur emissions, but do not eliminate air pollution. Researchers at the International Council for Clean Transportation found that “even with scrubbers, ships will continue to emit air and climate pollution emissions such as particulate matter, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, black carbon and carbon dioxide.”
The use of scrubbers with heavy fuel oil in Emission Control Areas exacerbate air quality concerns in areas designated by the IMO to be safeguarded from such impacts. Scrubbers also do not mitigate GHG emissions.
Do scrubbers increase ocean pollution?
It appears so. Contaminants in scrubber discharge wash water include metals, hydrocarbons, sulfurous and nitrous acids, and turbidity that can contribute to long-term contaminant loading to the marine environment, especially in ecologically vulnerable and sensitive areas such as coastal waters, semi enclosed seas and ports and harbours.
A 2019 Port of Vancouver modeling study showed that scrubber wash water discharge in Burrard Inlet could result in concentrations of metals that exceed federal and provincial thresholds set for the protection of marine aquatic life. The port banned scrubber discharges at berth and at anchorage in 2022 and is evaluating additional restrictions.
How have other countries reacted to the use of scrubbers?
Many governments and ports around the world have restricted or banned the use of scrubbers, including California, Norway, China, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Sweden, Malaysia, Dublin, Seattle.
What about Canada?
In Canada, five of Canada’s seventeen federal port authorities, have restricted scrubber use in their ports, including Vancouver and Prince Rupert.
From November 2024 to January 2025, Transport Canada conducted consultation on vessels using scrubber systems in Canadian waters. The results have not yet been released.
Environment and Climate Change Canada conducts ongoing research and investigations on scrubber use in Canada. In 2023-24, fourteen of the inspections conducted in the Pacific and Yukon Region were directly related to cruise ship discharges, including scrubber wash water. No further information on the outcome of these investigations is currently available as the matter is ongoing.
What is the most effective way to reduce air pollution?
IMO guidelines set no limits on any air pollutant other than SO2. Scrubbers tend to meet SO2 limits, however, they are not as effective at reducing other air pollutants. Currently, the most effective way to reduce air pollution is the use of low sulphur marine gas oil.
What about shore power?
Shore power is a ship-at-berth solution. It reduces harmful air emissions and GHG emissions while cruise ships are docked and plugged in. Port of Seattle estimates that plugging into shore power reduces diesel particulate emissions by 80% and CO2 emissions by 66% compared to ships running their engines.
Shore power is a complex project and includes many variables, including regulatory, technical, economic, and practical. It is subject to local conditions. It does not address air pollution while ships are transiting and maneuvering in harbour, or connecting to shore power.
Only four out of Canada’s 17 port authorities have some shore power.
Oceans North - New Analysis Benchmarks Progress on Shore Power Implementation at Canadian Ports.
A recent study on Green Shipping Corridors provides an overview of the Pacific Northwest region and key ports (Vancouver, Seattle, Prince Rupert, Juneau). The study highlights the potential for alternative fuels, the role of shore power and the necessity for harmonized frameworks to achieve a viable green corridor.
Green shipping corridors: An overview of Pacific Northwest region and key ports – ScienceDirect
Does Victoria have shore power for cruise ships?
No. The installation of shore power at Ogden Point has been discussed for many years.
The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) has actively investigated shore power at the Ogden Point Cruise Terminal for 13 years, starting with the release of an initial costing report of $14 Million in 2012. By 2019, installing shore power at Ogden Point was estimated to cost about $24.8 million.
In April 2023, the Province of British Columbia announced a $9 million contribution to the GVHA towards detailed engineering designs for shore power at Ogden Point.
In February 2025, the federal government committed $22.5 million to the GVHA to bring shore power to Ogden Point.
On October 26, 2025, GVHA announced that a feasibility study estimated the cost of installing shore power at Ogden Point would range from $92.5 million to $159 million, depending on the solution selected. Based on this study, GVHA abandoned its shore power initiative.
IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE TO USING SHORE POWER IN VICTORIA?
Yes. The immediate interim alternative to installing shore power at Ogden Point is to mandate that cruise ships use the lowest sulphur fuel available while in Victoria Harbour.
Air pollution at Ogden Point is a health and environmental issue. Emissions of black carbon and volatile organic compounds impact local residents’ health, and GHG emissions contribute to climate change.
The cruise ship terminal in Victoria is uniquely located adjacent to the residential James Bay neighbourhood of 13,000 residents with no buffer zone between the Ogden Point cruise terminal and the local community. James Bay is an ‘at risk community’ based on proximity and demographics (EPA definition). Residents have expressed concern about the impacts of cruise ship-caused air pollution on their health for years.
Our health and environment cannot wait. We ask that cruise ships be required to switch to using the lowest sulphur fuels in Victoria Harbour NOW.
WHAT LOCAL DATA ARE AVAILABLE TO EVALUATE THE USE OF SHORE POWER FOR CRUISE SHIPS IN VICTORIA?
Cost is an important consideration, but not the only one. Shore power is a permanent infrastructure investment, available 24/7 and requiring year-round maintenance. Ogden Point in Victoria Harbour is a seasonal cruise ship terminal from April through October, with little commercial cargo traffic. For the seven months that cruise ships call at Ogden Point, there is a limit to the time shore power might be utilized.
81% of cruise calls to Victoria originate in Seattle; according to the Port of Seattle, it takes three hours for a cruise ship to connect/disconnect to and from shore power, so they deduct 3 hours from at-berth times to calculate GHG emissions. For Victoria in 2025, cruise ships berthed at Ogden Point for an estimated 2,160 hours. If every ship could hook up, the maximum amount of time that cruise ships could utilize shore power for the entire season is estimated to be 1,025 hours.
Based on 2025 scheduling, the actual usage time would be lower due to overlapping schedules that prevent hookup access, incompatibilities with equipment because shore power installation is not standard on all ships, and ships that are not shore power equipped. In 2025 the majority of cruise ships at Ogden Point arrived after 7 pm and departed around midnight, further impacting actual shore power usage time. It is estimated that 47% of total ship calls would utilize shore power for less than 2 hours.
A successful local at berth solution would have to include ship capability and compatibility, port mandates for the cruise industry to use and/or pay for the infrastructure, and scheduling to maximize access/hook up.
WHAT ABOUT ELECTRICITY?
The existing electricity supply at Ogden Point is not sufficient for shore power. Cruise ships have to keep their engines running at dock to maintain existing services.
A Maritime Impact report quoted in Capital Daily shows traditional cruise ships require 10-100 megawatts of power for propulsion, lighting, air conditioning and on-board amenities. To put that in perspective, a single megawatt can power between 400 and 900 homes. The power used by the hotel facilities on cruise ships represents 47% of their electricity requirements. Victoria's cruise port aims for shore power integration amid fiscal uncertainty - Capital Daily
GVHA reports that even the cheapest solution would require extensive infrastructure work to bring sufficient electricity to Ogden Point, as each cruise ship requires the same amount of power as the James Bay neighbourhood. This work would include a 7.5km power line from downtown and 2.5km of ductwork through James Bay.
Shore power is a major electrical load. Our electrical supply is limited, and priority should be given to local demand. There may also be financial risks if the ships do not arrive and pay for the use of electricity (as happened to some ports during Covid) or switch to a different port-of-call.
If shore power were ever to be implemented in Victoria, all costs for services should be borne by cruise corporations who benefit the most from using Victoria as a port-of-call. Local economic cruise tourism benefits are limited, and our residents and environment suffer the negative impacts.
Who should pay for shore power, if implemented in the future?
Based on the Polluter Pay principle, the cruise industry should pay for the installation and maintenance of shore power in Victoria with mandatory use or infrastructure contribution fees by all ships, as data from other ports show that many ships do not connect to shore power, even when it is available.
Most ports that have received provincial or federal shore power funding provide essential trade and cargo services. Odgen Point does not. It is essentially a cruise ship terminal.
A fee of $30 for 1 million cruise passengers a year could raise $30 million a year to pay for shore power installation.
What about greenhouse gas emissions?
According to a study commissioned by the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority society, GHG emissions from terminal activities accounted for 3.3% of the City’s annual GHG emissions in 2018. Cruise emissions accounted for 96.3% of all emissions at the Victoria Cruise Ship Terminal.
From 2010 to 2018, Victoria Cruise Ship Terminal GHG emissions increased 19.1%. Since then, the total hoteling time at the terminal, when ships are docked but running generators, has increased as more cruise ships visit the port.
When three cruise ships are in port, their hourly GHG emission rate is equivalent to 45% of the City of Victoria’s hourly emission rate (based on Synergy’s 2018 study). During the 2025 cruise season, three to four cruise ships arrived on 50 of the 159 days when cruise ships were in town.
In addition, cruise tourism generates GHG emissions from taxis, highway style buses (which idle for long periods at the site), large industrial waste trucks, and landfilling.
In 2021, Canada signed the Clydebank Declaration as part of COP26 to support the establishment of green shipping corridors that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships. The goal is to establish zero emissions maritime routes between two or more ports; however, participation and commitments are voluntary.
Air Pollution or Ocean Pollution?
Air pollution and ocean pollution have become interconnected with the use of scrubbers. Scrubbers reduce SO2 air emissions. However, using scrubbers in connection with heavy fuel oil increase atmospheric emission of particulate matter, black carbon, and carbon dioxide relative to using lower sulphur fuels. A recent study by Environment and Climate Change Canada found that ships with scrubbers emit 104 percent more black carbon, or soot, than ships without. Currently, the most effective way to reduce air and ocean pollution is to use low sulphur marine gas fuel.