The following is the text of a news release from BC Ferries:
(VICTORIA, British Columbia) — Salish Raven, BC Ferries’ newest vessel, arrived in British Columbia on Wednesday. The vessel took 41 days to travel 10,440 nautical miles from Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. in Gdansk, Poland.
This ship will make its way to Ogden Point in Victoria, where the public can take exterior photos of the vessel Wednesday. Once Salish Raven clears Canadian customs and final inspections are complete, the vessel will be officially handed over to BC Ferries. The ship will proceed to BC Ferries’ refit facility in Richmond on June 8 to prepare for operational service in the Southern Gulf Islands in the fall.
“We are proud to welcome Salish Raven, our third natural-gas-fueled ship, home to B.C. and into our fleet,” said Mark Collins, BC Ferries’ president and CEO. “The Salish-class vessels are high quality, state-of-the-art vessels, which will serve British Columbians and tourists alike for decades to come.”
The artwork created to adorn Salish Raven, designed by Musqueam Nation’s Thomas Cannell, will be applied on the ship here in B.C. The winter weather in Poland has temperatures below ideal for the application.
Salish Orca, BC Ferries’ first dual-fuel vessel, was introduced into service on the Powell River-Comox route in May and has been well received by customers. Salish Eagle, the second Salish-class vessel, will start service on the Tsawwassen-Southern Gulf Islands route in late June.
The 351-foot Salish-class ships will carry 145 vehicles and up to 600 passengers and crew. The vessels feature two car decks and have a service speed of 15.5 knots. Each ship is powered by three Wartsila 8L20DF engines. Gross tonnage of each ship is 8,728 tonnes.
