Americas News
Ferry Operator Pushes Back LNG Conversion by a Year
British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. (BC Ferries) has pushed back by a year the conversion of two of its ferries to use Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) bunkers, local media reports.
BC Ferries says the project has been delayed to provide enough time to procure equipment, engineering work, regulatory approvals, and financial due diligence.
Original plans had the Spirit of Vancouver Island slotted for conversion along with a mid-life upgrade between 2016 and 2017, while the Spirit of British Columbia was to be converted and upgraded a year later.
The Spirit of British Columbia is now expected to be under conversion from fall 2017 through to spring 2018, with the Spirit of Vancouver Island following during the fall 2018 to spring 2019.
"Due to the complexity of this major project, we need more time for engineering design to ensure we meet our own high standards for delivering major capital projects on time and on budget," said Mark Wilson, vice-president of engineering at BC Ferries.
"The Spirit-class vessels are our biggest assets operating on the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay route, which is the busiest route in the fleet and these ships are critical to our operation so project management and risk mitigation are extremely important."
BC Ferries has said negotiations will be carried out to choose the winning bid in the next three to five months, with the winner to be announced in late fall.
The two vessels are both 560 ft and have a capacity of 2,100 passengers and 470 vehicles.
In April, BC Ferries told local media that liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a "game changer" for the firm, which operates a total of 35 vessels in 17 classes throughout that province's coastal waters.
Last year it ordered two newbuild LNG powered ferries, and has said that using the alternative fuel will save it millions of dollars.
