VANCOUVER ISLAND – BC Ferries’ Salish Orca, the first of three new Salish Class vessels, has departed Gdansk, Poland on Tuesday, November 22, 2016 for a 10,440 nautical mile journey bound for its new home in British Columbia.
The Transatlantic voyage will take approximately 45 to 55 days, depending on weather. The journey will include stops for refuelling in Santa Cruz, Canary Islands and Panama City, Panama, after transiting the Panama Canal and sailing up the west coast of North America to British Columbia. For those who want to join the voyage “virtually”, customers can track the ship’s progress including course, position and speed at www.vesselfinder.com.
Salish Orca, BC Ferries’ first natural gas-powered vessel, is scheduled to arrive in BC in January for crew training and familiarization. After public open houses in Powell River and Comox, the ship is scheduled to start service on that route in the spring of 2017.
“This is an exciting day for BC Ferries as our newest ship, Salish Orca, is one step closer to joining our fleet,” said Mike Corrigan, BC Ferries’ President and CEO. “We look forward to introducing a new ship into service for our passengers on the Northern Sunshine Coast, which will improve reliability and customer service for years to come.”
BC Ferries will take final acceptance and ownership of Salish Orca upon final inspection once the vessel arrives in BC. Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. is responsible to deliver the ship and has contracted with a professional international ship delivery specialist. Some of BC Ferries’ crew members are on various legs of the voyage for training and familiarization.