AWARDS 2025 | Best Bunkering Barge – Wolverine Spirit 1 – Robert Allan Ltd

This custom-designed bunkering barge was built for operations at the Port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia.

Designed by Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) and built in Vietnam, Wolverine Spirit 1 is a large, 142-metre transloading barge with a 30-metre beam, which can carry up to 24 rail tank-cars on its deck, loaded via a marine rail ramp using four rail lanes with onboard turnouts — a novel arrangement for a barge.

The barge features double hulls, extensive spill containment and response systems, firefighting capability, and advanced safety features including a fixed gantry with access platforms and a swinging gangway with articulated stairs.

This barge system significantly enhances efficient and safe bunkering operations at Prince Rupert.

"At 142 metres in length, this transloading barge was custom-designed to accept up to 24 rail tank-cars on deck with maximum efficiency using four rail tracks with a pair of onboard turnouts (switches)," Mike Phillips, Senior Naval Architect and Project Director at RAL, told Baird Maritime. "This novel arrangement on a rail barge, along with its high-performance ballast system enable Wolverine Spirit 1 to both unload and load a full set of railcars during a single tide at the existing three-track railcar terminal in Prince Rupert, BC."

Once the barge has been repositioned to the nearby Wolverine Terminal, the railcars are gravity-drained into the barge’s hull tanks, which have a combined capacity of nearly 80,000 barrels of cargo.

The barge can receive and hold three distinct fuel grades simultaneously and with on-vessel blending capability, it can prepare a variety of heavy fuel grades from IFO 180 to 380 in both high sulphur (greater than three per cent) as well as low sulphur grades (less than 0.5 per cent). These are in addition to conventional marine grade ultra-low sulphur diesel fuel.

Acting as a storage facility, Wolverine Spirit 1’s blended cargoes are then transferred to the smaller bunkering barge Wolverine Spirit 2 for delivery to ocean-going customer vessels.

"This barge was designed with safety as well as the minimisation of environmental impact and airborne noise as top priorities," added Phillips. "When at the Wolverine terminal, the barge is completely powered by shore power, minimizing emissions and noise pollution to the surrounding community. It is also fitted with a vapour recovery system that transfers cargo vapour back to railcars and between barges, and any released hydrocarbon vapours are pushed through a scrubber before being released."

The barge is also fitted with multiple levels of spill prevention including a rainwater collection and treatment system, plus spill response equipment. Crew safety is promoted with full-access gantry systems allowing easy and safe access for the crew to the top of the railcars. Access between the barges is via a swinging gangway with articulated stairs that adjust to ensure safe passage for all combinations of drafts and freeboards between the two barges.

Extensive auxiliary systems to support cargo and safety operations are also installed aboard this double-hulled vessel that is fully compliant with Transport Canada regulations.

"As a unique oil barge/deck cargo application, it was also important to engage with class and flag early in the design process. Through multiple risk assessments and review processes, the overall design was deemed satisfactory in all regards to the relevant parties."

Phillips explained that applying rail industry practices into a maritime environment was a challenge, particularly integrating turnouts on a rail barge that is a novel arrangement that required careful coordination with rail specialists and approval by the railway itself.

"Preparing a mating notch on the barge for the existing rail loading ramp’s exact geometry required detailed field measurements using specialised equipment, and securing arrangements needed to be configured to lock-in the barge connection with the ramp during railcar transfer operations," he told Baird Maritime.

Also, Prince Rupert’s large tidal variations, and the existing railcar ramp’s limitations at lower tides, meant that maximising the efficiency of operations was a very important task. The design of a ballasting system to ensure that the barge can stay within the ramp’s angle limits while also working within water draught constraints at the ramp was another significant challenge that needed to be successfully navigated to enable the barge to take maximum advantage of tidal windows for loading/unloading.

"Personnel access systems to the barge from the terminal dock and from Wolverine Spirit 1 to the lightering barge were other items that needed to be carefully considered to facilitate safe access throughout the full range of tides and relative vessel draughts."

For a list of the 2025 "Best Of" award winners, please click here.