Salish-class ferry

The Salish-class vessels are three intermediate ferries operated by BC Ferries and were built in 2016 at Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. in Gdańsk, Poland. They were the first dual-fuel powered vessels in British Columbia service, capable of using liquified natural gas or diesel oil to operate. Salish Orca entered service on the Comox-Powell River route in May 2017. Salish Eagle entered service on the Tsawwassen-Southern Gulf Islands route in June 2017. Salish Raven entered service for the Southern Gulf Islands on August 3, 2017. These vessels replaced Queen of Nanaimo and Queen of Burnaby.

Salish Raven docked at Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal in 2018
Class overview
Name: Salish class
Builders: Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A., Gdańsk, Poland
Operators: BC Ferries
Preceded by: Burnaby class
Built: 2016, 2020
In service: 2017–present
Planned: 4
On order: 1
Building: 1
Completed: 3
Active: 3
General characteristics
Type: Ferry
Tonnage:
Displacement: 4,227 long tons (4,295 t)
Length: 107.2 m (351 ft 8 in) oa
Beam: 23.5 m (77 ft 1 in)
Installed power: 5,952 hp (4,438 kW)
Speed: 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph)
Capacity:
  • 600 passengers and crew
  • 138 vehicles

Description

The three Salish-class vessels, Salish Eagle, Salish Orca and Salish Raven have a displacement of 4,227 long tons (4,295 t) and all measure 8,728 gross tonnage (GT) and max 864 tons deadweight (DWT). Salish-class vessels are 107.2 metres (351 ft 8 in) long overall and 100.69 metres (330 ft 4 in) between perpendiculars.[1][2] The ferries have a beam of 23.5 metres (77 ft 1 in).[2] They are powered by dual-fuel engines capable of using liquified natural gas (LNG) or diesel fuel to operate.[3] The engines are rated at 5,952 horsepower (4,438 kW).[1] They were the first vessels in British Columbia to be powered by LNG.[4] They have a maximum speed of 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph). Each ship has two car decks.[3] They have capacity for 600 passengers and crew and 138 vehicles measuring 6.1 by 2.6 metres (20.0 ft × 8.5 ft). The ferries have several amenities aboard including a cafeteria, a gift shop and areas for children and pets.[1]

Vessels
Salish class
Name Year built Route(s) Status Picture
Salish Eagle 2016 17 (Comox - Powell River) Active
Salish Orca 2015 9 (Southern Gulf Islands) Active
Salish Raven 2016 9A (Southern Gulf Islands)

/refit relief for various routes

Active

Service history

Constructed by Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. in Gdańsk, Poland, the three vessels of the Salish class were ordered as replacements for the older Queen of Burnaby[4] and Queen of Nanaimo.[5] Salish Orca was the first to complete in November 2016 and entered service on May 15, 2017.[2][6] Salish Eagle was completed in February 2017 and entered service in June.[5][7] Salish Raven was completed in April 2017 and entered service ahead of schedule on August 3, 2017 after Queen of Nanaimo had significant mechanical issues preventing the ship from continued service.[5][8] Salish Raven[9] and Salish Eagle[1] sail on the Southern Gulf Islands–Tsawwassen route. Sailish Orca sails on the Powell River–Comox route.[10] A fourth Salish-class vessel will be built to replace Mayne Queen on the Swartz Bay-Outer Gulf islands route (route 5A).[11]

On November 1, 2019, Remontowa Shipbuilding signed a contract with BC Ferries to build the fourth Salish-class vessel.[12] Construction for the fourth Salish-class vessel commenced on February 4, 2020. The vessel will be launched in November 2020.[13]

Shortly after entering service, the Salish-class vessels experienced several problems, the first problem was there was no galley ventilation system, at times the cafeteria's kitchen would reach extreme temperatures, making it unsafe for crews to work in the kitchen. In early 2018, all three Salish-class vessels had the galley ventilation system installed, fixing the issue. The ships external doors and elevators were also known to frequently break down, this issue has been partially resolved.[14]

On September 4, 2018, while Salish Eagle was docking at Sturdies Bay, the senior master misjudged the vessels speed and hit the dock harder than normal, no damage to the ship was done, and no one was injured, but it was discovered that there was minor damage to the berth walls.

On November 7, 2019, Salish Raven suffered a malfunction in one of its propellers at roughly 9:30am after leaving Pender Island. A tugboat arrived to aid the ferry and all its passengers were disembarked by 1:30 pm. The vessel resumed sailing later that day.[15]

References
  1. "Salish Eagle". BC Ferries. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  2. "Salish Orca (9750270)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  3. Wilson, Carla (7 June 2017). "Last of three Salish-class ferries arrives". Victoria Times-Colonist. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  4. Thomas, Megan (22 November 2016). "New Salish Orca ferry en route to B.C." CBC News. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  5. Devlin, Megan (1 August 2017). "New Salish Raven ferry makes inaugural sailing ahead of schedule". CTV News. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  6. Haagen, Ragnar (13 May 2017). "Salish Orca ready to set sail in B.C. waters". Victoria News. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  7. "Salish Eagle (9750282)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  8. "Salish Raven (9750294)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  9. "Salish Raven". BC Ferries. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  10. "Sailish Orca". BC Ferries. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  11. "Application to the British Columbia Ferries Commissioner For New Salish Class Vessel and Island Class Vessels Routes 5, 19 and 23 November 5 2018" (PDF). BC Ferries. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  12. "Remontowa Shipbuilding will build another LNG ferry for Canada". Remontowa Shipbuilding. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  13. "Building the Fourth Ferry For BC Ferries". Remontowa Shipbuilding. Remontowa Shipbuilding. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  14. Duffy, Andrew (December 15, 2017). "Glitches on new Salish vessels are to be expected, B.C. Ferries says". Times Colonist. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  15. "Ferry passengers back on land after being stranded off Swartz Bay for more than four hours". Times Colonist. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
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