Americas News
BC Ferries Preps Vessel for Dual-Fuel Conversion
Canadian ferry operator British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. (BC Ferries) has announced that its vessel, the Spirit of British Columbia, will be temporarily removed from service from September 7 to September 15 to undergo engineering, maintenance work, and sea trials in preparation for its mid-life upgrade and dual-fuel conversion.
As Ship & Bunker has previously reported, Remontowa Ship Repair Yard S.A. (Remontowa Shipbuilding) in Gdansk, Poland has been awarded a $140 million contract complete the mid-life upgrades (MLUs) on BC Ferries' two Spirit-Class vessels, the Spirit of British Columbia and the Spirit of Vancouver Island, including the conversion of both ships to dual-fuel conventional and liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker propulsion.
"On September 10 and 11, the Spirit of British Columbia will be out in Saanich Inlet to perform sea trials in order to complete various vessel performance tests and to verify the operational profile of the vessel," explained the ferry operator.
While the vessel is out of service, BC Ferries notes that the Coastal Renaissance will temporarily fill in on the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay route.
In November, BC Ferries held a naming ceremony at Remontowa Shipbuilding for its newest vessel to be powered by LNG bunkers, the Salish Orca.
