The K-class

ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

(often referred to as "K-barges" due to their

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

type and size) are a group of similarly designed ferries operated by both

BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., Trade name, operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, State-owned enterprise, publicly owned Canadian c ...

and TransLink in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. With the exception of MV ''Pune'luxutth'', all of the listed K-class vessels were built for service in British Columbia's Ministry of Highways salt water inter-island ferry fleet which was absorbed by

in 1985.

BC Ferries

MV ''Klitsa''

(formerly MV ''Denman Queen'')
Built: 1972,

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

Length:
Power: 600 hp
Service Speed: 10 knots
Gross Tonnage: 352.58
Car Capacity: 26
Passenger & Crew Capacity: 195
Route: Brentwood Bay–Mill Bay
''Klitsa'' has been in BC Ferries maintenance facility, called Deas Dock, quite often during past years. She currently services the Brentwood Bay – Mill Bay route replacing the

MV Mill Bay MV ''Mill Bay'' was a Canadian ferry. At long, it was BC Ferries' second-smallest ship. It held 16 vehicles (tied with the MV Nimpkish, MV ''Nimpkish''), 138 passengers and crew, and operated at a maximum speed of . The ''Mill Bay'' operated in t ...

which went up for sale on February 24, 2011. Her name comes from a mountain near

Sproat Lake Sproat Lake is a lake on central Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It was known as Kleecoot, meaning "wide open" by local indigenous people. Roughly cross-shaped with four arms, it is over 25 kilometres in length, and has 90.8 kilom ...

MV ''Kahloke''

Built: 1973,

Length:
Power: 640 hp
Service Speed: 10 knots
Gross Tonnage: 466
Car Capacity: 30
Passenger & Crew Capacity: 200
Route: Denman Island–Hornby Island
''Kahloke'' sometimes aided the Albion Ferries, owned by TransLink when one was out of service. This was not the first ferry named ''Kahloke'' to operate on the BC coast. The 1903 built served as ''Kahloke'' from 1952 to 1964 and was then renamed ''Langdale Queen''. Her name comes from the

Chinook Jargon Chinook Jargon (' or ', also known simply as ''Chinook'' or ''Jargon'') is a language originating as a pidgin language, pidgin trade language in the Pacific Northwest. It spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to othe ...

for swan.

MV ''Kwuna''

Built: 1975,

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

Length:
Power: 730 hp
Service Speed: 10 knots
Gross Tonnage: 347.49
Car Capacity: 26
Passenger & Crew Capacity: 154
Route: Skidegate–Alliford Bay
''Kwuna'' is different from the other K-class vessels. It has loading ramps attached to the vessel, not to land like the others. It docks at concrete boat-launch-like ramps, then lowers the vehicle ramp down to the ground. Her name means 'point' or 'headland' in

Haida Haida may refer to: Haida people Many uses of the word derive from the name of an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. * Haida people, an Indigenous ethnic group of North America (Canada) ** Council of the Haida Nati ...

and refers to a geographic feature nearby. BC Ferry MV Kuper 02

MV ''Pune'luxutth''

(formerly MV ''John Atlantic Burr'', and MV ''Kuper'')
Built: 1985,

Bullfrog, Utah Bullfrog Basin is one of the National Park Service recreation sites of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area of Kane County, Utah, United States, adjoining Lake Powell. It encompasses Bullfrog Basin Airport , the Bullfrog Resort and Marina, t ...

Rebuilt: 2006,

Length:
Power: 2 x 475 hp
Service Speed: 10 knots
Gross Tonnage: 648
Car Capacity: 32
Passenger & Crew Capacity: 269
Route:

Chemainus Chemainus is a community within the municipality of North Cowichan in the Chemainus River, Chemainus Valley on the east coast of southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Founded as an unincorporated logging town in 1858, Chemainu ...

–

Thetis Island Thetis Island (population: 379) is an island and unincorporated community off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, lying between Vancouver Island, which is to the west across Stuart Channel, and the west from the north tip of Galiano I ...

–

Penelakut Island Penelakut Island (called Kuper Island by most people between 1851–2010) is located in the southern Gulf Islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. The island has a population of about 300 mem ...

''Pune'luxutth'' is the newest of the K-barges and started service in 2006. The former MV ''John Atlantic Burr'' operated on

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

Lake Powell Lake Powell is a reservoir on the Colorado River in Utah and Arizona, United States. It is a major vacation destination visited by approximately two million people every year. It holds of water when full, second in the United States to only the ...

as of early September 2005. The following winter, the vessel was cut into four sections, transported by truck to

, and reassembled as MV ''Kuper'', with significant modification and enlargement. The ship cost 200,000 and 4.5 million to refit and enlarge, which was considered quite a savings compared to the cost of building a new vessel which was estimated at 20 million. She shared her name with the former name of

. In December 2023, she was renamed ''Pune'luxutth'' in the spirit of reconciliation, and to recognise the harm and grief associated with the name Kuper, and its connections with the former Residential School on island. Pune'luxutth was a name chosen by the Penelakut tribe, and means Penelakut in the Hul'q'u'umi'num' language.

TransLink

MV ''Kulleet''

Built: 1972,

Length:
Power: 650 hp
Service Speed: 10 knots
Gross Tonnage: 355.04
Car Capacity: 26
Passenger & Crew Capacity: 150
Route: Albion–Fort Langley (Defunct)

MV ''Klatawa''

Built: 1972,

Length:
Power: 650 hp
Service Speed: 10 knots
Gross Tonnage: 347.58
Car Capacity: 26
Passenger & Crew Capacity: 150
Route: Albion–Fort Langley (Defunct) Both ''Kulleet'' and ''Klatawa'' were owned and operated by Metro Vancouver's Transportation Authority, TransLink, and they ran the Albion–Fort Langley route on the

Fraser River The Fraser River () is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain (Canada), Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of V ...

, between the Maple Ridge suburb of Albion south to McMillan Island in

Fort Langley Fort Langley is a village community in Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada. It has a population of approximately 3,400 people. It is the home of Fort Langley National Historic Site, a former fur trade post of the Hudson's Bay Company ...

. On July 31, 2009, the Albion Ferry was shut down after the opening of the

Golden Ears Bridge The Golden Ears Bridge is a six-lane extradosed bridge in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. It spans the Fraser River, connecting Langley on the south side with Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge on the north side. The bridge opened to traffic on J ...

. The ferry had connected Maple Ridge and Langley via the Fraser River since 1957. ''Kulleet'' and ''Klatawa'' had been put into service in the 1980s. The two Albion ferries were sold for $400,000 – less than half of the original asking price of $1.1 million. TransLink said in a news release on December 30, 2011, that MV ''Kulleet'' and MV ''Klatawa'' have been bought by Tidal Towing, a B.C.-based company. Both ships have since been bought and renamed by Diversified Marine of

Halfmoon Bay Half Moon Bay is a city in San Mateo County, California Half Moon Bay may also refer to: Australia * Halfmoon Bay (Tasmania), a bay in Tasmania, near Hobart * Half Moon Bay (Victoria), a bay in Black Rock, Victoria In Canada * Half Moon Bay (N ...

. ''Klatawa'' has been renamed to ''Marena Mac'' and ''Kulleet'' to ''Nelson Mac''. Both ships' names are of native origin, with Klatawa being the verb 'to go' in Chinook Jargon and Kulleet referring to Kulleet Bay, which literally means 'Bay Bay' as Kulleet means 'bay' in Island Halkomelem.

References

External links

*
BC Ferries Profiles
{{BC Ferry Classes Ferry classes