Salish Orca, the first of three LNG-fueled ferries built for BC Ferries, completed its 10,440 nautical mile journey from the Remontowa shipyard in Gdansk, Poland to British Columbia.
After the vessel clears Canadian Customs and final inspections are complete, it will be officially handed over to BC Ferries.
Salish Orca departed the Polish shipyard in November and stopped for fuel in the Canary Islands , Panama and Mexico on its 50-day voyage.
It is set to enter service on the Powell River – Comox route in the spring. Its sister ships, Salish Eagle and Salish Raven are scheduled for delivery during the spring and will start service in the Southern Gulf Islands later in the year.
BC Ferries noted that the Salish class vessels are the first LNG-fueled vessels in the company’s fleet.
The 107-meter 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.