B.C.'s coast prepares for busy cruise ship season after record-breaking year in 2022

Cruise ship season officially launched in Victoria on Tuesday as the Sapphire Princess berthed for a one-day visit.

On the windy shoreline at Ogden Point, pedicab driver John MacCormack stood among the taxis and buses ready to pick up the first cruise visitors of the year.

"I've been waiting for this all winter long," the Victoria Pedicab Company driver said. "You get to see people's eyes light up as you show them our city."

He said the first day of the year is a banner moment for the local tourism industry — particularly given that this year is anticipated to bring a record number of cruise passengers. 

Cruise ships returned to B.C. in 2022 following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Port of Vancouver says it welcomed a record 307 ships last year, a seven per cent increase over 2019. 

The port authority says this year could be another record-breaking year, predicting an eight per cent increase over 2022.

The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority expects 330 ships between April and October, bringing at least 850,000 passengers to the capital. Vancouver's port authority is predicting a similar number of ships, and up to 1.3 million passengers are expected to visit the city's downtown core as a result. The first ship of the year is set to dock in Vancouver on Wednesday. 

In Prince Rupert, 43 ships and 80,000 passengers are anticipated from May through early October. 

Marie Arboleya, from Mexico City, was one of the first passengers of the season to step off a cruise ship and explore Victoria. 

"We went from San Francisco, then we visited Astoria in Oregon, now here in Victoria," the 58-year-old told CBC. "We feel very happy to be here."

Eight-year-old Valerie Pan, who stepped off that same ship, said she feels "special" being on the first ship to come into Victoria this year.

"I enjoy the view, and I love how everybody here is, like, so nice," she said.

Fernando de Benedictis, 28, works in the bar on the Sapphire Princess. 

"I've always tried to take the opportunity to see new places, to meet new people," he said.  "And it's been great so far."

Jeff Bray, executive director of the Downtown Victoria Business Association, said that the thousands of people who arrive on cruise ships in Victoria each year bring a vibrance, energy, and economic stimulation to downtown.

"It injects $130 million into the local economy, and we certainly expect that to be the same or even more this upcoming season," he said.

Each ship that docks in Vancouver brings in an estimated $3 million to the local economy, the Vancouver Port Authority says and creates thousands of jobs Canada-wide.

According to the Tourism Industry Association of B.C., cruise ships bring about $2.7 billion each year to the provincial economy.

Environmental impact

But environmental groups have strongly criticized the impact of the cruise industry.

A 2021 report by Stand.earth into the environmental benefits of cancelled cruises during the pandemic found an estimated 220 million litres of sewage, 1.8 billion litres of greywater, and 31 billion litres of washwater — enough to fill more than 13,000 Olympic swimming pools — had been kept out of the Salish and Great Bear seas.

Greywater originates as drainage from sinks, galleys and dishwashers. Washwater is generated by scrubbers fitted on the vessel's exhaust system that pull in seawater to filter sulphur dioxide pollutants out of marine fuel.

According to the Germany-based Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union, a single cruise ship accommodating 4,000 passengers is capable of emitting as much carbon dioxide as 85,000 cars.

Last week, the province announced a $9 million investment in delivering clean power to cruise ships while in port in Victoria. The funding will help plan, design and deliver clean, renewable energy to cruise ships, B.C. Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said.

Right now, ships must use engine power to keep electricity running, forcing them to idle while they are in port.  Fleming said the goal is to have two berths where ships can plug into shore power.

There is no timeline for the installation.