BC Ferries to take phased approach to build seven new large ships

Preliminary conceptual artistic rendering of the New Major Vessels. (BC Ferries)

BC Ferries is well into the process of planning its order for the construction of seven new large vessels to operate on the major routes linking Metro Vancouver with Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.

Such vessels would be larger than the 2000s-built Coastal-class ships and comparable to the fleet’s largest vessels, the Spirit of British Columbia and the Spirit of Vancouver Island.

These “New Major Vessels” are intended to provide more long-term capacity, improve reliability, and replace the aging C-class vessels built in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

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As originally announced early this year, the intention is to buy up to seven new vessels, including the acquisition of one additional vessel as a spare.

However, the ferry corporation has announced that it will now take a phased approach. It will continue the ongoing bidding process for a shipyard to build the first five of the seven new vessels to operate on the busiest routes. The remaining vessels will be built in a later phase.

With this phased approach, two existing C-class vessels — Queen of Surrey and Queen of Oak Bay — would undergo some upgrades at local shipyards to extend their operational lifespans by a few years.

Built in 1981, the Queen of Surrey and Queen of Oak Bay are comparatively younger than the other three C-class vessels, the Queen of Coquitlam, Queen of Cowichan, and Queen of Alberni, which were all built in 1976.

Each C-class vessel is about 457 ft long, has a displacement of about 6,500 tons, and can accommodate up to about 1,500 passengers and crew and 300 vehicles.

In contrast, BC Ferries’ design for the new large ships, in collaboration with European naval architectural firm LMG Marin, will boast a capacity of up to 360 vehicles and 2,100 passengers. These new ships will also be among the largest double-ended ferries in the world, with significantly improved energy efficiency and propulsion systems.

Preliminary conceptual artistic rendering of the New Major Vessels. (BC Ferries)

The ferry corporation states these new vessels will be the company’s most expensive capital investment ever and suggests the decision to phase the acquisition spreads the high order costs over a longer timeframe.

“Our customers have been clear — they expect reliable service and affordable fares, and this approach directly addresses both,” said Nicolas Jimenez, president and CEO of BC Ferries, in a statement.

“By adopting a phased strategy, we can responsibly increase capacity and resilience while carefully managing our investments to minimize fare pressures for customers. Additionally, the flexibility to refine the final two vessels based on insights from the initial builds and operational performance ensures we deliver the best possible service for the future.”

The bidding process began earlier this year, and BC Ferries has now shortlisted shipyards for their participation in the Request for Proposals’ detailed bidding process. It is anticipated the contract will be awarded in Spring 2025.

The first five ships will enter service between 2029 and 2031. BC Ferries asserts that without these new vessels, the major routes linking Metro Vancouver with Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast will have insufficient capacity to meet peak season demand starting in 2035.

The second phase of ordering the two remaining ships will run on a timeline of securing shipbuilding contracts by 2033 for service by about 2037, at which point a total of 12 large ships will serve the major routes.

By 2037, the Queen of Surrey and Queen of Oak Bay will be 56 years old.

BC Ferries’ Queen of Oak Bay, one of five C-class vessels in the fleet. (Kam Abbott/Flickr)

It should be noted that BC Ferries began contemplating the replacement of all five C-class vessels before the pandemic, which delayed the procurement process. Originally, the ferry corporation had envisioned receiving the first new ship by 2024, with the newest procurement timeline pushing the replacements by about a decade.

There have been calls by BC shipyards and companies to build these new ships locally to generate domestic jobs and economic benefits, as the ferry corporation has typically ordered from European shipyards due to their competitive pricing. BC Ferries has suggested that while it accepts and invites domestic bids, new ships built at local shipyards generally carry a significantly higher cost.

Currently, Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group is building four additional Island-class battery-electric ferries to operate on minor routes. When these vessels enter service in 2027, BC Ferries’ Island-class fleet will grow to a total of 10 ships.

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