BC Ferries reveals names of two new Damen-built vessels in Victoria naming ceremony
On 19 th February BC Ferries held a naming ceremony for the first of its two Island Class Ferries at Victoria’s Point Hope Maritime, Damen said in its release. At the event, the names of the vessels – Island Discovery and Island Aurora – were revealed for the first time.
The two ferries, based on Damen’s 81-metre Road Ferry 8117E3 design and built at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania, will enter service mid-2020, serving the Powell River-Texada Island and Port McNeill-Albert Bay-Sointula routes respectively.
In a press release marking the occasion, BC Ferries stated, “The names celebrate the beauty of the journey and the important connections to the coastal communities the ferries will soon serve.” Speaking at the naming ceremony, Damen’s Chief Commercial Officer Jan-Wim Dekker said, “We enjoy an excellent partnership with BC Ferries – one that cements the long-standing relationship that exists between the Netherlands and Canada. Working closely together, we have developed state-of-the-art vessels to provide an outstanding passenger experience.”
The vessels sponsors were selected from the BC Ferries family and the local communities. The sponsors of the Island Discovery were Sandy Leduc and Sandy McCormick, while the Island Aurora was sponsored by Melissa Fletcher and Sheila O’Neill. Damen signed the contract for the two vessels in 2017, following an extensive, multi-phased international tender process. The vessels are designed to carry 47 vehicles and up to 450 passengers and crew.
The Island Class are battery equipped for full electric operation in the future. In the meantime, the ferries are equipped with hybrid equipment. Damen has paid close attention, in the design of the vessels, to reducing both emissions and underwater radiated noise. Island Discovery and Island Aurora are part of BC Ferries fleet renewal programme and will replace the 59-year old North Island Princess and 53-year old Quadra Queen II. In November, Damen announced that it had secured a repeat order from BC Ferries for four additional Island Class Ferries.
Damen Shipyards Group operates 36 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 12,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 6,500 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers around 175 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality. Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, Damen vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology. Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.
For nearly all vessel types Damen offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. Damen also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, winches, anchors, anchor chains and steel works. Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has a worldwide network of eighteen repair and conversion yards of which twelve are located in North West Europe. Facilities at the yards include more than 50 floating (and covered) drydocks, including the longest, 420 x 80 metres, and the widest, 405 x 90 metres, as well as slopes, ship lifts and indoor halls. Projects range from the smallest simple repairs through Class’ maintenance to complex refits and the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,300 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyage.
