Americas News
Canadian Firm Gets Federal Loan to Buy Four Battery Electric Ferries
The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) says it will provide a $75 million loan to West Coast operator BC Ferry Services Inc. to help finance the purchase of four zero-emission battery electric ferries, and install the required charging infrastructure.
The new ferries will be co-caled 'Island class' vessels that will be used on small volume and shorter routes
The existing diesel-hybrid vessels will be transferred to other routes to replace ferries that have reached their end of life.
The CIB's loan will cover the higher upfront capital costs of the ferries compared to diesel equivalents.
In 2021 global ferry industry association Interferry said it was making a sector-wide push to electrify ferries world-wide.
BC Ferries operates one of the world's largest ferry networks.
