BC Ferries, the Province of British Columbia’s service
provider responsible for ferry service, held an official naming ceremony
recently for two vessels at Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. in Gdansk, Poland.
The Salish Eagle and Salish
Raven were both christened on June 3, and will be fuelled by natural
gas.
Using natural gas for the vessels is expected to result in
the reduction of an estimated 9,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent
per year, the same as taking about 1,900 passenger vehicles off the road
annually. Also, since natural gas is cheaper than marine diesel, operating
costs are expected to be reduced.
The 107-meter (351-foot) ferries can carry 145 vehicles and
up to 600 passengers and crew. There are two car decks and each ferry has a
service speed of 15.5 knots. The service life of each vessel is about 40 years.
The first of three under-construction vessels, the Salish
Orca, is planned to arrive in B.C. by the end of this year. The Salish
Eagle is expected to arrive early in 2017, while the Salish
Raven is expected in the spring of 2017. All three ferries are planned
to be in operation in the summer of 2017, with the Salish Orca sailing the
Comox–Powell River route, and the Salish Eagle and Salish
Raven providing service to the Southern Gulf Islands.
The vessel sponsor for the Salish Eagle is Michelle
Letourneau, currently a Master on the routes serving the Southern Gulf Islands.
The sponsor for the Salish Raven is Jodi Gaudet, Chief Engineer on the M/V
Quinsam, which operates on the Nanaimo-Gabriola Island route. Both
women have worked in the marine industry for the past 20 years.
“This ceremony marks a major milestone in the construction
of our three new Salish- Class vessels as they each take another step closer to
entering our fleet,” BC Ferries President and CEO Mike Corrigan said. “These
vessels, named after the Coast Salish people and the Salish Sea, represent
British Columbia’s rich coastal culture and heritage, and will serve coastal
communities for many years to come.”
