By Mark Edward Nero
On Dec. 9, British Columbia-based Seaspan Ferries Corp. announced the arrival of Seaspan Swift, the first of two new dual-fuel/hybrid ferries, to its fleet.
The new vessel, currently docked at the company’s Tilbury Terminal in Delta, B.C., arrived after an eight-week journey that spanned 10,661 nautical miles following its construction at a shipyard in Istanbul, Turkey.
The 489-foot ferry, which can accommodate up to 59 trailers, is expected to undergo a series of regulatory inspections and crew training programs throughout December before entering operation on Jan. 2.
Seaspan Swift, along with its sister ship, Seaspan Reliant, mark the first vessels added to the Seaspan Ferries fleet since 2002. Seaspan Reliant, the company’s second dual-fuel/hybrid ferry, is nearing completion and undergoing testing and trials in Turkey, is expected to arrive in Tilbury in early 2017, the company says.
Earlier this month, Seaspan Swift, with assistance from engineering company Vard, gas distributor FortisBC and ship deliverer Redwise, was successfully bunkered for the first time, using a tanker truck to deliver LNG on board the vessel.
Seaspan Ferries operates a fleet of seven ferries out of five terminals in British Columbia, and supplies more than 50 percent of all cargo to Vancouver Island.
