New Cable Ferry to Undergo Maintenance

By Mark Edward Nero

Cable ferry Baynes Sound Connector, which debuted early this year, will be removed from service from Oct. 24 to Nov. 19 for warranty maintenance, according to the vessel’s operator, British Columbia ferry service provider BC Ferries.

Planned work includes paint repairs, equipment servicing and other activities that can’t be accommodated during an overnight shut down. The out of service period, according to BC Ferries, allows shipyard personnel safe access to the vessel without disrupting customers. The work will be conducted locally at the Buckley Bay terminal.

The Baynes Sound Connector is BC Ferries’ newest vessel and first cable ferry; it operates between Buckley Bay and Denman Island.

It commenced soft sailings in January 2016, and as of Aug. 30, it had completed more than 6,500 sailings and carried more than 168,700 vehicles, plus performed 296 shuttle sailings above contract requirements, since its initial introduction into service.

In July and August 2016, the vessel completed 38 more round trips and carried 4,407 more vehicles than would have been possible with the previous vessel, according to its operator.

BC Ferries says the vessel is able to perform more shuttle runs per day than the vessel it replaced, as it docks, unloads and reloads quicker. It also consumes 50 percent less fuel than the previous vessel.

While the Baynes Sound Connector is out of commission, the M/V Quinitsa will provide service with no change in service level or schedule, BC Ferries said.

BC Ferries Receives Vessel from Seaspan

By Mark Edward Nero

BC Ferries, the contract service provider responsible for ferry service along coastal British Columbia, has officially taken ownership of a new cable ferry, the Baynes Sound Connector. The vessel’s title was transferred from Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards in mid-November.

According to BC Ferries, the new cable ferry met or exceeded all contract specifications, during rigorous acceptance trials and testing conducted by Seaspan, including speed and lower fuel consumption compared to the Quinitsa, the vessel currently in service on the route.

“We are very pleased with the new cable ferry’s performance,” BC Ferries’ President and CEO Mike Corrigan said. “In operational trials, the vessel exceeded its maximum design speed of 8.5 knots fully loaded, achieving a speed of 8.7 knots, with crossing times consistent with the Quinitsa.”

“All speeds have been achieved on the designed one engine operation, and the second engine is there for complete redundancy,” Mark Wilson, BC Ferries’ Vice President of Engineering, explained. “The horsepower of one engine is approximately 490, compared to the Quinitsa, which has four engines at 475 horsepower each.”

The trials indicated significantly lower fuel consumption than the current vessel, he added.

BC Ferries says it will now conduct crew training and familiarization over the next eight weeks as the company prepares for full operational service. The Baynes Sound Connector is expected to be in full operational service in early February 2016. BC Ferries says passengers will continue to be served by the Quinitsa until the Baynes Sound Connector goes into service.