LNG powered Salish Eagle arrived in British Columbia
BC Ferries’ second of three new liquefied natural gas-powered Salish Class vessels, the Salish Eagle, arrived at its British Columbia home on March 20 – BC Ferries reports in its press release. The vessel took 38 days to travel 10,440 nautical miles from Remontowa Shipbuilding SA in Gdansk, Poland, where it had been built.
Read also: Salish Orca reached its home. Salish Eagle on its way to Canada
According to the BC Ferries’ statement, during its journey to British Columbia, the Salish Eagle, stopped in Santa Cruz, Canary Islands on February 19 for bunkering and provisioning. Afterwards the ferry transited Panama Canal overnight on March 5.
On March 20, this ship reached Ogden Point in Victoria, where the public had an opportunity to take exterior photos of the vessel. Once the new ferry clears Canadian Customs and final inspections are complete, she will be officially handed over to BC Ferries. Remontowa Shipbuilding SA is responsible for delivering the ship to British Columbia.
On Tuesday, March 21, the ship proceeded to BC Ferries’ refit facility in Richmond to prepare for operational service. The vessel will move to Tsawwassen terminal in mid-April for crew training and familiarization, and to continue to ready the ship for regular operation.
– We are proud to welcome Salish Eagle, our second natural gas-fuelled ship, home to B.C. and into our fleet – said Mark Wilson, BC Ferries’ Vice President of Engineering. – The Salish Class are well built vessels that will help reduce our environmental footprint and our operating costs – he emphasized.
The artwork created to adorn Salish Eagle, designed by Stz’uminus First Nation’s John Marston, will be applied on the ship in B.C. since the winter weather in Poland has temperatures below ideal for the application.
John Marston created a bold design of red eagles that will adorn the hull of the new vessel, representing the strength and respect the eagle carries in First Nations culture. The artwork will also be displayed inside the ship for customers to view, along with a profile of the artist.
– The eagle is highly respected within our culture. It is a symbol of our spiritual connection to the natural world – Marston said at the unveiling ceremony on 14 September 2016. – Over the years as an artist I have learned from our ancestors’ old artworks. It is important to me that this design was strongly influenced by these old masterpieces – he added.
The Salish Eagle will enter service on the Tsawwassen – Southern Gulf Islands route at the end of June. The ferry will replace the Queen of Nanaimo. Its sister ship, the Salish Orca, that will start service on the Comox – Powell River route late next month. The Salish Raven, the third Salish Class vessel, that in March was still undergoing sea trials in the waters of Gdansk Bay and final touches at the Remontowa Shipbuilding yard, will depart Poland for B.C. in April.
The 107-metre Salish Class ships will carry 145 vehicles and up to 600 passengers and crew. The vessels feature two car decks and have a service speed of 15.5 knots. Each ship is powered by three Wartsila 8L20DF engines. Gross tonnage of each ship is 8,728 tonnes.
The Salish Class vessels are BC Ferries’ first natural gas-fuelled vessels. BC Ferries says using natural gas as the primary fuel source is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and nearly eliminate particulate matter.
Under contract to the Province of British Columbia, BC Ferries is the service provider responsible for the delivery of safe, efficient and dependable ferry service along coastal British Columbia.
rel (BC Ferries), GL
