Canadian ferry operator BC Ferries has finished wrapping its new vessel Salish Orca in a massive decal in Poland.
Being built at Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. in Gdansk, the vessel will be the company’s first liquefied natural gas- (LNG) powered ferry, capable of operating on either LNG or Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel Oil (ULSD).
The Salish Orca will depart Poland this fall under its own power. The 107-meter vessel will sail by the Canary Islands, through the Panama Canal and up the west coast of North America.
Expected to arrive in Canada by the end of the year, the Salish Orca will enter service on the Comox-Powell River route.
The Salish Class Ferries (SCF), including the Salish Orca, the Salish Eagle and the Salish Raven, are expected replace the company’s two older vessels, the Queen of Nanaimo and the Queen of Burnaby.
Each of the three vessels will feature a length of 107 meters and will be able to accommodate 145 vehicles and up to 600 passengers.
The two remaining vessels , the Salish Eagle and the Salish Raven, are scheduled to arrive in early 2017 and will be deployed on the Southern Gulf Islands routes by summer 2017, according to the company.