Four new BC Ferries ships receive First Nations language names | Daily Hive

The launch of BC Ferries' ninth Island Class ship on Nov. 19, 2025 at Damen Shipyards' facility in Romania. (BC Ferries)

Earlier this week, BC Ferries announced that its four new additional Island Class vessels will receive Indigenous names — drawn from two separate First Nations languages — with those names separately “gifted” by three First Nations.

All four ships are currently in the process of being built in Europe by Damen Shipyards, which also constructed the original fleet of four Island Class vessels.

When these four new ships enter service in 2027, they will grow the ferry corporation’s fleet of hybrid-electric vessels of this class serving minor routes from six to 10 vessels.

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The We Wai Kai First Nation and Wei Wai Kum First Nation have named two of the new vessels in their Kwak’wala language, with the first vessel named by the We Wai Kai as “Island Gwa’yam,” pronounced Gwuh-yum and meaning whale, and the second vessel named by the We Wai Kum as “Island K’asa,” pronounced KAH-sah and meaning otter.

Whales are seen as “powerful symbols of family that have recently returned to these waters,” while the otter is a “powerful guardian spirit who can navigate between the spirit and human world. These family-oriented, playful beings are a reminder of the interconnectedness of all living things.”

The remaining third and fourth new vessels will be named after the Snuneymuxw First Nation in the hul’q’umi’num’ language, with the third ship named “Island xwsaĺux̌ul,” pronounced Xwus-wol-ox-wutl and meaning Grassy Place, and carrying the significance of the Snuneymuxw Sarlequun Treaty of 1854 that was signed at xwsaĺux̌ul. The fourth vessel will be named “Island sarlequun,” which is pronounced as Sar-le-kwun and is said to honoured the Snuneymuxw people.

bc ferries island class 9 vessel launch november 19 2025 damen shipyards romania

The launch of BC Ferries’ ninth Island Class ship on Nov. 19, 2025 at Damen Shipyards’ facility in Romania. (BC Ferries)

“BC Ferries is sincerely grateful to the We Wai Kai and Wei Wai Kum First Nations for gifting these meaningful names. We appreciate this opportunity to honour and amplify their language and culture on our vessels in such a meaningful way,” said Nicolas Jimenez, president and CEO of BC Ferries, in a statement.

“These names are a powerful symbol of Snuneymuxw First Nation’s inherent rights and enduring presence within their territory. It is a privilege to incorporate them into our fleet,” he added.

All four ships are being built in a shipyard in Romania. On Nov. 19, 2025, the third vessel of this new order (the ninth vessel in the overall Island Class fleet) launched into water for the first time.

The Island Gwa’yam and Island K’asa will operate on Route 23 between Campbell River and Quadra Island, while the Island xwsaĺux̌ul and Island sarlequun will operate on Route 19 between Nanaimo and Gabriola Island.

In stark contrast, the first six Island Class vessels that arrived in 2020 and 2021 were more simply named Island Discovery, Island Aurora, Island Nagalis, Island K’ulut’a, Island Kwigwis, and Island Gwawis.

Over the coming weeks, just ahead of the opening before Christmas Day 2025, the provincial government is also expected to announce the new First Nations name for the new Pattullo Bridge, which will use the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language of the Musqueam First Nation and Kwantlen First Nation.

The launch of BC Ferries’ ninth Island Class ship on Nov. 19, 2025 at Damen Shipyards’ facility in Romania. (BC Ferries)

Island Class vessels are relatively small ships with a length of 265 ft. (81 metres), and a capacity for about 400 passengers and crew and 47 vehicles. These are BC Ferries’ first hybrid-electric vessels, capable of using a mix of fossil fuels and battery supplies, with the ability to fully convert these vessels to 100 per cent battery-electric. BC Ferries has plans to make investments into the complete electrification of these vessels, which also necessitates the installation of charging infrastructure at the ferry terminals.

To help support the cost of ordering the four new additional Island Class ships, BC Ferries received a $75-million, low-cost loan from the federal government’s Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB).

The controversial New Major Vessels being built by a shipyard in Mainland China will also be hybrid-electric ships, which is supported by a $1-billion, low-cost loan from CIB.

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