The Island-class ferries are

ferries A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

owned and operated by

BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, publicly owned Canadian company. BC Ferries provides all major passenger and vehicle fer ...

. Six vessels were built between 2019 and 2021 by Damen Shipyards Group, a Dutch company, in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...

. The first two ships were launched in mid-March 2019, and commenced service in June 2020. Two of an additional four vessels commenced service in April 2022, and the remaining two are due to enter service in late 2022. The vessels are powered by a diesel-electric hybrid system, and will transition to full electric operation when shore-side electric charging stations and funding becomes available.

Description

The Island-class vessels were designed by Damen Shipyards Group as Damen Road Ferry 8117 E3, with input from both the public and

. The ferries are diesel-electric hybrid-powered, measuring long and have a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy * Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy ** Laser beam * Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized g ...

of . Each ship has the capacity for 47 vehicles, and between 300 and 450 passengers and crew. Features include a gallery deck for increased vehicle capacity, heated solariums on both sides of the sun deck, an indoor passenger lounge on the main car deck, and a small pet area. The vessels are also the most environmentally friendly in the fleet, as they will switch from the current hybrid technology to operating fully electric when shore equipment is installed. In addition, the Island-class ships are extremely quiet, creating less underwater radiated noise disturbance to marine life and providing a more enjoyable sailing for passengers. BC Ferries has also said that the weather conditions tolerance of the Island class is similar to their larger major vessel classes. The vessels are double ended and are considered the minor class of the BC Ferries standardization plan.

Island-class vessels

Construction and service history

The first two vessels were announced in 2017 and launched in March 2019. All vessels were built by Damen Shipyards Galati. Construction was completed in July, and the vessels were loaded on board a semi-submersible transport ship for the two-month crossing from Romania to Canada, and were delivered in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. T ...

on January 18, 2020. On February 19, the vessels were christened and named and . They entered service that same summer, June 10 on the Powell River to Texada Island route, and June 18 on the Alert Bay - Port McNeill - Sointula route respectively. BC Ferries Kwigwis and Gwawis

On November 6, 2019, BC Ferries ordered four more of the vessels, which are all due to enter service in 2022. Each vessel in this phase made the transatlantic voyage under its own power and temporary name. All four vessels were later named in the Kwakwaka'wakw indigenous language, replacing their temporary numbered name. Island 3 became (meaning "dawn on the land) and Island 4 became (meaning "porpoise") on August 23, 2021. Island 5 was revealed and christened as (meaning "eagle of the sea") on December 14, 2021. Island 6 marked the completion of phase 2 as (meaning "raven of the sea") on January 11, 2022. Originally the new vessels were scheduled to enter service in the spring of 2022, however, the two vessels slated for the Quadra Island route have been tentatively delayed until early 2023, due to lack of available crew. ''Island Kwigwis'' and ''Island Gwawis'' entered service and replaced ''Quinsam'' on the Gabriola Island route on April 12, 2022. Most of the Island-class vessels underwent

sea trial A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...

s in the

Saanich Inlet Saanich Inlet (also Saanich Arm) is a body of salt water that lies between the Saanich Peninsula and the Malahat highlands of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Located just northwest of Victoria, the inlet is long, has a surface area o ...

, near Victoria, and in

Baynes Sound Baynes Sound is the channel between Denman Island and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The sound is a narrow western offshoot of the Strait of Georgia that separates Vancouver Island from the mainland of British Columbia. The area is act ...

before their entry to service, and spent time at both the Point Hope Shipyard and BC Ferries Deas Dock. The name ''Island Gwawis'' received backlash from

Snuneymuxw First Nation The Snuneymuxw First Nation (pronounced ) is located in and around the city of Nanaimo on east-central Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The nation previously had also occupied territory along the Fraser River, in British Columbia. Pr ...

on the grounds of discrimination, after the vessel, named in another First Nations language, operated through Snuneymuxw territory. The group had been invited to participate in the naming process along with other indigenous groups. In its nearly first two years of service, the ''Island Discovery'' has been replaced multiple times by the ''Island Aurora'', ''Island K'ulut'a'', and ''Island Nagalis'' on the Powell River -

Texada Island Texada Island is a large island located in the Strait of Georgia of British Columbia, Canada. With an area of , it is the largest island of the Gulf Islands and the third largest island in the Strait of Georgia after Whidbey Island in Washington ...

route due to mechanical issues. The ''Island K'ulut'a'' also spent a brief period of time on the

Alert Bay Alert Bay is a village on Cormorant Island, near the town of Port McNeill on northeast Vancouver Island, in the Regional District of Mount Waddington, British Columbia, Canada. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Stati ...

Port McNeill Port McNeill is a town in the North Island region of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada with a population of 2,356 (2021). Located on Vancouver Island's north-east shore on Queen Charlotte Strait, it was originally a base camp for logger ...

Sointula Sointula is an isolated village on Malcolm Island in British Columbia, Canada. Lying between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland, northeast of Port McNeill and not far from Alert Bay, the island is part of the historic and prese ...

route. In preparation for dual ship service on both Route 19 (Gabriola Island) and Route 23 (Quadra Island), the ''Island Aurora'' conducted test sailings with the primary vessel on the routes. ''Island Gwawis'' also test sailed in tandem with the ''Quinsam'' in the days leading up to the new service it would provide.

References

{{BC Ferries Ships of BC Ferries Ferry classes Island Class ferries