The ship that will serve as worker accommodation for the construction of the Woodfibre LNG (WLNG) plant in Squamish has arrived in Vancouver.
The 35-year-old Merchant Vessel (MV) Isabelle is currently sailing under the flag of Latvia.
It last served in Estonia as a safe haven for folks fleeing the Russian Invasion in Ukraine.
On its way to Vancouver, it had ports of call in Spain, Panama and Guatemala before arriving in Vancouver on Jan. 3.
In the fall, WLNG enlisted Bridgemans Services Group to supply a ship suitable for worker accommodation.
The 169 metre-long Isabelle will eventually be moored at the Woodfibre LNG project site to house up to 600 construction workers.
On Jan. 4, WLNG spokesperson Sean Beardow told The Squamish Chief that the ship will be spending the upcoming weeks at the Seaspan facility in North Vancouver undergoing its final few refits, loading equipment and undergoing inspections.
After that is done, the company will have a better idea of when it will arrive in Squamish.
According to a previous news release, the ship will have an "ultraviolet water purification system, the ability to run on shore hydro power, industrial-sized heat pumps, and sewage treatment that includes ultrafiltration, a low intensity UV unit," and will be shipped to a management facility in B.C.
In addition, Bridgemans is designing the MV Isabelle to eliminate waste and recycle as much as possible.
WLNG previously said it will be moored locally beginning spring 2024.
The company still needs a Temporary Use Permit from Squamish's municipality.
The District of Squamish said in a statement that it is aware of yesterday’s announcement regarding the arrival of the floatel.
"The District has received a Temporary Use Permit application for a Floatel proposed to be located in Howe Sound next to the Woodfibre LNG site, to house temporary construction workers," the statement reads.
"The application is under review by staff and will follow the public process before council makes an issuance decision."
*Please note that after this story was posted, we added new information that came in from Woodfibre LNG. We later updated the story again with a statement from the District of Squamish. We also corrected the piece to say that the ship is flying under the Latvian flag and last served in Estonia. Previously, the story read that it was last used as a safe haven in Latvia, which was incorrect.
