B.C.’s new Salish Raven ferry pulled up to Ogden Point Wednesday morning after wrapping up a 10,440-nautical-mile trip from Poland.
The 107-metre-long Salish Raven is the newest of three B.C. Ferries Salish-class vessels and the final one to arrive in B.C. waters. All were built in Poland. Total cost is about $200 million.
The ferries are dual-fuel, which means they are able to operate on natural gas — expected to be the main fuel — or diesel.
After a day in Victoria, the Raven will go through Canada Customs and then final inspections will be completed on the vessel. It then travels to Richmond, where B.C. Ferries has its refit centre, to get it ready for service this fall in the Southern Gulf Islands.
The Salish Orca, the first to arrive, began in May to serve the Powell River-Comox route. The Salish Eagle starts service this month on the Tsawwassen-Southern Gulf Islands route.
All three ferries will have colourful First Nations designs. The Raven’s artwork was created by Musqueam Nation’s Thomas Cannell. It will be installed in B.C.
Each vessel has two car decks and can carry up to 145 vehicles and 600 passengers and crew.
B.C. Ferries announced this week that it has signed a deal with a Netherlands-based shipyard to build two new smaller vessels that are slated to go into service in 2020. The vessels will be built at the Romanian yard of Damen Shipyards Group.
