BC Ferries Adds to LNG Fleet

BC Ferries said January 31 it will add to its fleet of LNG-powered ferries with a contract awarded to Remontowa Shipbuilding of Poland for a fourth Salish-class vessel, scheduled to be ready for service in 2022.

Remontowa has already built three Salish-class ferries for BC Ferries – each 107 metres long and able to carry at least 138 vehicles and up to 600 passengers. The vessels are powered by three Wartsila engines and electrically powered by Schottel thrusters bow and stern, driven by an on-board gas-electric power plant.

“Our Clean Futures Plan is our path to replace diesel fuels with cleaner energy options. While this cannot be achieved in a single step, we are continually seeking energy sources that offer a cleaner, lower carbon-intensity option to displace non-renewable diesel,” said Captain Jamie Marshall, BC Ferries’ vice president, business development & innovation. “In our move towards a sustainable future, adopting LNG is one way to reduce our impact on the environment today.”

The agreement with Remontowa is a design-build, fixed-priced contract that provides BC Ferries with guarantees related to delivery dates, performance criteria, cost certainty and quality construction. The total project budget, which includes financing and project management costs, is about C$92.3 ($69.4)mn.

The new Salish-class vessel will be put into service in the Southern Gulf Islands, and will bring BC Ferries’ LNG-fuelled fleet to six. Two Salish-class ferries currently operate in the Southern Gulf Islands, the third operates between Powell River, north of Vancouver, and Comox, on Vancouver Island, while the company’s two largest  Spirit-class ferries, the Spirit of British Columbia and the Spirit of Vancouver, were re-fitted to run on LNG in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and now operate between Vancouver and Victoria.