B.C. Ferries revealed the name of its sixth Island Class ferry on Tuesday at a naming ceremony at Victoria’s Point Hope Maritime.
Island Gwawis, which arrived in Victoria in December, will serve the Nanaimo Harbour-Gabriola Island route. It left Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania on Oct. 11 under its own power on a 72-day transoceanic journey.
Gwawis means “raven of the sea” and celebrates “the cultural connection between the original mariners of the coastal waters and the communities the vessel will soon serve,” B.C. Ferries said in a statement.
The corporation said the name was selected with input and support from the ‘Na̲mg̲is First Nation.
The six Island Class ferries are hybrid-electrics and have the capacity to carry 47 vehicles and up to 450 passengers and crew.
