BC Ferries

BC Ferries
legal form	Corporation
founding	1960
Seat	Victoria , British Columbia Canada
management	Donald P. Hayes, Chair ; Michael J. Corrigan, President & CEO
Number of employees	3153
sales	841.1 million CAD (2014-15)
Branch	Traffic transportation
Website	www.bcferries.com

BC Ferries (wholly British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. ) is the primary ferry operator on the west coast of British Columbia . Since it was founded in 1960 , the company has grown to become the largest passenger ferry line in North America and the second largest in the world. The ferries call at the 47 terminals in the countless islands and towns along the coast . BC Ferries transported almost 20 million passengers and almost 8 million vehicles in the 2014/15 financial year. Compared to previous years, these numbers remained largely constant.

history

In the late 1950s, a strike by the Black Ball Line and Canadian Pacific Railway workforce led the British Columbia government, under WAC Bennett, to nationalize the ferry service. The BC Ferries Crown corporation was founded to carry it out .

The first route from BC Ferries was approved in 1960 and led by the the mainland nearby Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay , near Sidney . Over the years, other connections were added, most of which were taken over by the Black Ball Line . Due to the strong demand in the early 1960s, BC Ferries was forced to build new ferries or convert existing ships. By taking over part of the Ministry of Transport's fleet, the number of vehicles increased sharply.

In 2003 the British Columbian government announced that the meanwhile heavily indebted BC Ferries was to be converted into a private company. The so-called BC Ferry Authority oversees the operations of the reorganized company, which is still subject to strong political influence due to the fact that politicians have filled the executive board.

Economic situation

A loss of CAD 16.5 million was posted for the 2011–12 fiscal year ending March 31 . In the following fiscal year 2012–13, however, a profit of 15.5 million CAD was on the books again. In the 2013-14 fiscal year, with sales of around 800 million CAD, a profit of 18 million CAD was achieved. This increased the profit from the 2012–13 fiscal year by another CAD 2.5 million. In the 2014–15 financial year, both sales (841.1 million CAD) and retained earnings (49.1 million CAD) increased.

Routes

BC Ferries ferry off the coast of Vancouver Island

BC Ferries currently operates the following 26 routes, the three most important of which are:

Georgia South Strait Route (also known as the continuation of Highway 17 ): Swartz Bay ↔ Tsawwassen

Georgia Middle Strait Route (also known as the continuation of Highway 1 ): Nanaimo (via Departure Bay ) ↔ Horseshoe Bay

Mid-Island Express Route: Nanaimo (via Duke Point ) ↔ Tsawwassen

Routes - route

The route numbers are those used by BC Ferries.

Route 1 - Georgia Strait - South (Highway 17): Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen
Route 2 - Georgia Strait - Central (Highway 1): Nanaimo (via Departure Bay ) to Horseshoe Bay
Route 3 - Howe Sound: Langdale to Horseshoe Bay
Route 4 - Satellite Channel: Swartz Bay to Saltspring Island
Route 5 - Swanson Channel: Swartz Bay to 'Outer Gulf Islands-Group' ( Galiano Island , Mayne Island , Pender Island , and Saturna Island )
Route 6 - South Stuart Channel: Crofton to Saltspring Island
Route 7 - Jervis Inlet ( Highway 101 ): Earls Cove to Saltery Bay
Route 8 - Queen Charlotte Channel: Horseshoe Bay to Bowen Island (via Snug Cove )
Route 9 - Active Pass Shuttle: Tsawwassen to Saltspring Island and 'Outer Gulf Islands-Group'
Route 10 - Inside Passage : Port Hardy (via Bear Cove Ferry Terminal ) to Prince Rupert
Route 10S - Discovery Coast Connector Service: Bella Bella to Bella Coola (with stops in Shearwater and Ocean Falls )
Route 11 - Hecate Strait ( Highway 16 ): Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii (via Skidegate )
Route 12 - Saanich Inlet: Brentwood Bay to Mill Bay
Route 13 - Thornbrough Channel: Langdale Bay to Gambier Island and Keats Island (passengers only)
Route 17 - Georgia Strait North: Powell River (via Westview ) to Comox (via Little River )
Route 18 - Malaspina Strait: Powell River to Texada Island (via Blubber Bay )
Route 19 - Northumberland Channel: Nanaimo to Gabriola Island (via Descanso Bay )
Route 20 - North Stuart Channel: Chemainus to Thetis Island and Penelakut Island (formerly Kuper Island)
Route 21 - Baynes Sound: Buckley Bay to Denman Island (via Metcalf Bay )
Route 22 - Lambert Channel: Denman Island (via Gravelly Bay ) to Hornby Island (via Shingle Spit )
Route 23 - Discovery Passage: Campbell River to Quadra Island (via Quathiaski Cove )
Route 24 - Sutil Channel: Quadra Island (via Heriot Bay ) to Cortes Island (via Whaletown )
Route 25 - Broughton Strait: Port McNeill to Cormorant Island (via Alert Bay ) and Malcolm Island (via Sointula )
Route 26 - Skidegate Inlet: Graham Island (via Skidegate ) to Moresby Island (via Alliford Bay )
Route 28 - Discovery Coast: Port Hardy (via Bear Cove Ferry Terminal) to Bella Coola
Route 30 - Mid-Island Express: Nanaimo (via Duke Point) to Tsawwassen

Routes - maps

The numbers in the blue circles correspond to the numbers on the BCFerries route.

Zone 1 - Southern Gulf Islands
Zone 2 - Central Georgia Strait
Zone 3 - Northern Georgia Strait
Zone 4 - Queen Charlotte Sound
Zone 5 - North Coast

Ships

BC Ferries currently operates one of the largest ferry fleets in the world. 37 ferries are operated (as of June 2020) with a total transport capacity of 27,000 people. The spectrum ranges from small ferries with a capacity of 16 vehicles to "super ferries" that can transport 470 vehicles. All ferries are RoRo ships .

On July 3, 2014 BC Ferries announced that they had signed a contract worth C $ 165 million with the Polish shipyard Remontowa SA in Gdańsk for the delivery of three new ferries. These ferries, which form the Salish class , are around 107 meters long and have space for around 140 vehicles and almost 600 passengers. They are operated with liquefied natural gas , but the engines can also be operated with marine diesel. Two of the ferries replaced the 50-year-old Burnaby class ferries ( Queen of Nanaimo and Queen of Burnaby ), while the third ferry is used as a replacement and to cushion peak operations. The names of the ships are Salish Orca , Salish Eagle and Salish Raven . The ships were put into ferry operation in 2017. After the delivery of the Coastal class ships in 2007/2008, this was the next delivery of larger ships. Before that, a new cable ferry was put into operation in 2015 , the Baynes Sound Connector . This 78 meter long ferry operates on the link between Buckley Bay and Denman Island and can carry up to 150 passengers and 50 vehicles.

In 2017 BC Ferries acquired the Aqua Spirit from Greece, which was built in 2000 . The 75 m long ship operates under the name Northern Sea Wolf on the routes between Bella Bella and Bella Coola as well as Port Hardy and Bella Coola. It has space for 35 vehicles and around 150 people.

Current newbuildings are the Iceland class ships . The first two ships with hybrid drive and space for 47 vehicles and around 450 people started operations in 2020, before another four ships are scheduled to start operating in 2022. The first two ships in this class will replace the North Island Princess and the Quadra Queen II . While the almost 60-year-old North Island Princess will leave the fleet, the Quadra Queen II will continue to be held as a reserve. In addition, another Salish-class ship is to be added in 2021 . The new ships are primarily intended to replace the Powell River class ferries , which will then be more than 55 years old.

Most ferries are assigned to a group based on a similar design. The following ferries are currently in operation:

Surname	class	Construction year	Main line	comment
without	unclassified	2015	Baynes Sound Connector	Cable ferry
Bowen Queen	Bowen	1965	Southern Gulf Islands	also Powell River class
Coastal Celebration	Coastal	2007	Tsawwassen - Swartz Bay
Coastal inspiration	Coastal	2007	Duke Point - Tsawwassen
Coastal Renaissance	Coastal	2007	Departure Bay - Horseshoe Bay
Iceland Aurora	Iceland	2019	Alert Bay - Sointula - Port McNeill	with hybrid drive
Island Discovery	Iceland	2019	Powell River - Texada Island	with hybrid drive
Kahloke	K	1973	Hornby Island - Denman Island
Klitsa	K	1972	Brentwood Bay - Mill Bay
Kuper	K	1985	Chemainus - Thetis Island - Penelakut Island
Kwuna	K	1975	Alliford - Skidegate
Malaspina Sky	Intermediate	2008	Earls Cove - Saltery Bay	formerly Island Sky
Mayne Queen	Bowen	1965	Southern Gulf Islands
Nimpkish	N	1973	Discovery Coast Connector	smallest ferry in the fleet
North Island Princess	unclassified	1958	not in active use	The oldest ferry in the fleet
Northern Adventure	unclassified	2004	Inside Passage and to Haida Gwaii	Replaces the sunken Queen of the North
Northern Expedition	unclassified	2009	Inside Passage and to Haida Gwaii
Northern Sea Wolf	unclassified	2000	Rebuilt in 2018 when the former Aqua Spirit was taken over	Port Hardy - Bella Coola
Powell River Queen	Bowen	1965	Quadra Island - Campbell River
Quadra Queen II	T	1969	not in active use	Renovation 2010/2011
Queen of Alberni	Cowichan	1976	Duke Point - Tsawwassen	Rebuilt in 1984 and 2007
Queen of Capilano	Intermediate	1991	Horseshoe Bay - Bowen Island
Queen of Coquitlam	Cowichan	1976	Horseshoe Bay - Departure Bay	Rebuilt in 2003
Queen of Cowichan	Cowichan	1976	Departure Bay - Horseshoe Bay	Rebuilt in 2004
Queen of Cumberland	Intermediate	1992	Swartz Bay - Southern Gulf Islands
Queen of New Westminster	unclassified	1964	Tsawwassen - Swartz Bay	rebuilt several times, last ferry of the former Victoria class in the fleet
Queen of Oak Bay	Cowichan	1981	Horseshoe Bay - Departure Bay	Rebuilt in 2005
Queen of Surrey	Cowichan	1981	Langdale - Horseshoe Bay	Rebuilt in 2006
Quinitsa	Q	1977	Crofton - Vesuvius Bay	Taken over in 1985 and rebuilt in 2008
Quinsame	Q	1982	Gabriola Island - Nanaimo Harbor	Taken over in 1985 and rebuilt in 2010
Salish Eagle	Salish	2016	Southern Gulf Islands - Tsawwassen
Salish Orca	Salish	2016	Powell River - Comox
Salish Raven	Salish	2016	Tsawwassen - Southern Gulf Islands
Skeena Queen	Century	1997	Fulford Harbor - Swartz Bay
Spirit of British Columbia	Spirit	1993	Tsawwassen - Swartz Bay	known as "Superferries", the largest ferries in the fleet; Rebuilt in 2017/2018
Spirit of Vancouver Island	Spirit	1993	Swartz Bay - Tsawwassen	Rebuilt in 2018/2019
Tachek	T	1969	Quadra Island - Cortes Island	formerly Texada Queen
Nicola	N	1973	-	Is used by the Lax Kw'alaams First Nations as Spirit of Lax Kw 'Alaams on the Prince Rupert - Port Simpson route

Former ships

Due to the history of the shipping company and its own history, there were also various other ferries. Sometimes it was a matter of classes with several ships, but often of individual structures.

Former classes were:

Burnaby class (two ferries including the Queen of Burnaby )
Sidney class (two ferries)
Victoria class (seven ferries including the Queen of Victoria )
PacifiCat (three ferries)

The Howe Sound Queen , who was decommissioned in 2019, was not assigned to any class .

The ships were either sold (such as the three PacifiCat ferries) or they were converted into a new class (such as some of the Victoria-class ferries that became the Burnaby class ).

Trivia

BC Ferries' ships were regularly used for filming films. Below are the films, as far as known:

Movie	year	Class / ship
Five Easy Pieces - A man is looking for himself	1970	N class / Mill Bay
The island of the monsters	1976	former Victoria class / Howe Sound Queen
The other side of the coin	1978	former Victoria class / Queen of Victoria
Murderous lead	1988	former Victoria class / Queen of Vancouver
A bird on a tightrope	1999	Intermediate class / unknown
The servers	1993	Powell River Class / Unknown
Mr. Magoo	1997	former Victoria class / Queen of Esquimalt
We'll get you too!	1998	Intermediate class / Queen of Capilano
Double homicide	1999	T-class / Tachek
Cold fear	2002	N class / Mill Bay
Scary Movie 3	2003	Powell River Class / Unknown
Battlestar Galactica	2003	former Victoria class / unknown
Walking Tall - On your own	2004	N class / unknown
Elektra	2005	N class / unknown
The mermaid's secret	2006	N class / Mill Bay
Zack & Cody - The Movie	2011	Single ship / Northern Expedition

literature

Gary Bannerman, Patricia Bannerman: The Ships of British Columbia - An Illustrated History of the British Columbia Ferry Corporation. Hancock House Publishers, Surrey 1985, ISBN 0-88-839188-9 .

Web links

Commons : BC Ferries - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Annual Report 2014-2015. (PDF; 3.64 MB) British Columbia Ferry Service Inc. & BC Ferry Authority, accessed on August 5, 2015 .
↑ http://www.bcferries.com/about/More_Information.html
↑ Bill 18-2003 - Coastal Ferry Act (Küstenfährgesetz). Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, accessed February 27, 2013 .
↑ Annual Report 2011-2012. (PDF; 3.63 MB) British Columbia Ferry Service Inc. & BC Ferry Authority, accessed on February 27, 2013 .
↑ BC Ferries releases year-end results. British Columbia Ferry Service Inc., June 20, 2014, accessed July 17, 2014 .
↑ BC Ferries Route Map. (pdf) BC Ferries, accessed April 12, 2019 .
↑ Fleet overview on the shipping company's homepage (English)
↑ BC Ferries awards $ 165 million in contracts for three new ... ferries. British Columbia Ferry Service Inc., July 3, 2014, accessed July 17, 2014 .
^ BC Ferries' Salish Orca Now In Service. British Columbia Ferry Service Inc., May 16, 2017, accessed September 6, 2017 .
^ BC Ferries' Salish Eagle Now In Service. British Columbia Ferry Service Inc., June 21, 2017, accessed September 6, 2017 .
^ Salish Raven Enters Service Early. British Columbia Ferry Service Inc., August 1, 2017, accessed September 6, 2017 .
↑ BC Ferries brand new cable Ferry coming soon. British Columbia Ferry Service Inc., April 15, 2015, accessed August 5, 2015 .
^ Keel of BC Ferries new cable Ferry officially laid down today. British Columbia Ferry Service Inc., November 14, 2014, accessed August 5, 2015 .
^ Northern Sea Wolf ferry to link Island to Great Bear Rainforest. Times Colonist, August 31, 2017, accessed September 6, 2017 .
↑ Northern Sea Wolf. BC Ferries, accessed April 12, 2019 .
↑ BC Ferries' Island Class Vessels. BC Ferries, accessed April 12, 2019 .
^ BC Ferries' Awards Contract For Two New Minor Vessels. BC Ferries, June 6, 2017, accessed November 26, 2019 .

[Bericht2014-2015-1] Annual Report 2014-2015. (PDF; 3.64 MB) British Columbia Ferry Service Inc. & BC Ferry Authority, accessed on August 5, 2015 .

[2] ttp://www.bcferries.com/about/More_Information.html

[3] Bill 18-2003 - Coastal Ferry Act (Küstenfährgesetz). Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, accessed February 27, 2013 .

[4] Annual Report 2011-2012. (PDF; 3.63 MB) British Columbia Ferry Service Inc. & BC Ferry Authority, accessed on February 27, 2013 .

[Bericht2013-14-5] BC Ferries releases year-end results. British Columbia Ferry Service Inc., June 20, 2014, accessed July 17, 2014 .

[6] BC Ferries Route Map. (pdf) BC Ferries, accessed April 12, 2019 .

[7] Fleet overview on the shipping company's homepage (English)

[8] BC Ferries awards $ 165 million in contracts for three new ... ferries. British Columbia Ferry Service Inc., July 3, 2014, accessed July 17, 2014 .

[9] BC Ferries' Salish Orca Now In Service. British Columbia Ferry Service Inc., May 16, 2017, accessed September 6, 2017 .

[10] BC Ferries' Salish Eagle Now In Service. British Columbia Ferry Service Inc., June 21, 2017, accessed September 6, 2017 .

[11] Salish Raven Enters Service Early. British Columbia Ferry Service Inc., August 1, 2017, accessed September 6, 2017 .

[12] BC Ferries brand new cable Ferry coming soon. British Columbia Ferry Service Inc., April 15, 2015, accessed August 5, 2015 .

[13] Keel of BC Ferries new cable Ferry officially laid down today. British Columbia Ferry Service Inc., November 14, 2014, accessed August 5, 2015 .

[14] Northern Sea Wolf ferry to link Island to Great Bear Rainforest. Times Colonist, August 31, 2017, accessed September 6, 2017 .

[15] Northern Sea Wolf. BC Ferries, accessed April 12, 2019 .

[16] BC Ferries' Island Class Vessels. BC Ferries, accessed April 12, 2019 .

[17] BC Ferries' Awards Contract For Two New Minor Vessels. BC Ferries, June 6, 2017, accessed November 26, 2019 .