Salish Eagle, BC Ferries newest vessel, arrived in B.C. this week, the second delivery of a three-ship order placed with Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. in Gdansk, Poland in 2014. Like its sister ships, the vessel will operate with Wartsila dual-fuel engines powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to “reduce our environmental footprint and our operating costs,” said Mark Wilson, BC Ferries’ Vice President of Engineering.
The ship will proceed to BC Ferries’ refit facility in Richmond to prepare for operational service. It will move to Tsawwassen terminal in mid-April for crew training and familiarization, and to continue to ready the ship for regular operation.
Salish Eagle will enter service on the Tsawwassen – Southern Gulf Islands route at the end of June. Sister ship, Salish Orca will start service on the Comox – Powell River route late next month. Salish Raven, the third Salish Class vessel, 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.
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.
(Source: BC Ferries)
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