Hybrid

BC Ferries has been given the green light to acquire four more hybrid-electric Island Class ferries.

In a media release Monday, the ferry corporation said the BC Ferries Commissioner had approved a capital expenditure to procure the vessels, which will serve the Nanaimo-Gabriola Island and Campbell River-Quadra Island routes by 2027.

The acquisition will allow Island Class vessels already serving those routes to be re-deployed to serve Salt Spring, Quadra, Cortez, Denman and Hornby islands, boosting capacity, the company said.

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VICTORIA – With today’s major capital expenditure approval by the BC Ferries Commissioner, BC Ferries is able to take the next step towards the purchase of four new hybrid electric Island Class vessels that will increase capacity for passengers across the ferry system.

By 2027, the four new vessels will enter service on the routes connecting Nanaimo Harbour and Gabriola Island (two vessels) and Campbell River and Quadra Island (two vessels), with corresponding electrical upgrades for shore-based rapid charging made to the four terminals on these routes.

“BC Ferries proposed these four new hybrid Island Class vessels because added capacity is critical to helping us get people where they need to go efficiently and reliably,” said Nicolas Jimenez, President and CEO of BC Ferries. “As the Commissioner has noted in her decision, this project will deliver improved customer service, help lower our costs related to crewing and training, and contribute to safe and reliable service for passengers up and down the coast.”

The Island Class vessels that currently serve the above routes will be able to be redeployed to greatly benefit a number of communities with increased capacity to help address current and future demands. Specifically, the Crofton to Vesuvius route will see capacity increased by 20 per cent along with increased frequency provided by two-vessel service. The Quadra to Cortes route capacity will increase by about 70 per cent through the deployment of a larger vessel, and the existing system relief vessel will be redeployed to the Denman to Hornby route year-round, doubling its capacity and particularly improving travel certainty throughout the year.

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Vard Electro is pleased to announce the award of the contract for an innovative hybrid battery power system with Atlantic Towing to be integrated on their vessel Atlantic Shrike. Atlantic Towing is the first company to implement this multiple mode application of battery technologies on a single vessel in the Canadian Offshore Oil and Gas Industry.

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