The following is the text of a news release from Seaspan:
(DELTA, British Columbia) — Seaspan Ferries Corp. (SFC) has announced the arrival of Seaspan Swift, the first of two new dual-fuel/hybrid (diesel, liquefied natural gas and battery) ferries to its fleet.
The new vessel, currently docked at the SFC Tilbury Terminal in Delta, arrived home after an eight-week journey that spanned 10,661 nautical miles following its construction at Sedef Shipyard in Istanbul, Turkey.
Another first occurred last week at SFC, with assistance from Vard, FortisBC and Redwise, when Seaspan Swift was successfully bunkered using a tanker truck to deliver LNG on board the vessel.
The 489-foot ferry, which can accommodate up to 59 trailers, will undergo a series of regulatory inspections and crew training programs throughout December before entering operation on Jan. 2.
Seaspan Swift, along with its sister ship Seaspan Reliant, mark the first vessels added to SFC’s fleet since 2002. Seaspan Reliant, SFC’s second dual-fuel/hybrid ferry, nearing completion and undergoing testing and trials in Turkey, is expected to arrive in Tilbury early 2017.
Seaspan Ferries Corp. operates a fleet of seven ferries out of five terminals in British Columbia, and supplies more than 50 percent of all cargo to Vancouver Island.
