Americas News
BC Ferries' Second LNG-Powered Newbuild Departs for Canadian West Coast
Canada's British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. (BC Ferries) has announced that Salish Eagle, the company's second of three newbuild dual fuel ferries featuring liquefied natural gas (LNG)-propulsion, departed from Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. (Remontowa Shipbuilding) in Gdansk, Poland on February 11, 2017.
"We are looking forward to introducing all three new Salish Class vessels into service this year, which will serve British Columbians for decades to come," said Mike Corrigan, BC Ferries' President and CEO.
"We plan to operate these ships on natural gas, which will improve our environmental footprint and reduce our operating costs."
The transatlantic voyage is expected to take 45 to 55 days, depending on weather, and will include stops for bunkering in Santa Cruz, Canary Islands, and Panama City, Panama.
Salish Eagle is scheduled to arrive in British Columbia in April, after which crew training and familiarisation will take place, although some BC Ferries' crew members are on various legs of the vessel's current voyage for this purpose.
The ship is scheduled to start service in the Southern Gulf Islands in the summer.
BC Ferries took delivery of Salish Orca, the first in the company's series of LNG-powered newbuilds, in January.
