Esquimalt Drydocking wins $18M upgrade of Queen of Cumberland

Esquimalt Drydocking Company is about to break one of its own records.

The company is taking on the $18-million midlife upgrade of B.C. Ferries’ Queen of Cumberland vessel, the largest Ferries contract the 17-year-old company has ever won.

Late last year, Esquimalt Drydocking won a $12million contract to do a similar upgrade on the Queen of Capilano. That deal, at the time the company’s largest B.C. Ferries contract, translated into work for 75 employees, and as many as 150 at the peak.

The Queen of Cumberland, which runs between Swartz Bay and the Southern Gulf Islands, will be out of commission between Nov. 21 and April 17.

In its place, the ferry system will cover service on the Gulf Islands route through a combination of the Skeena Queen and Bowen Queen vessels.

The refit is designed to extend the life of Queen of Cumberland for 20 years.

“A significant upgrade such as the one the Queen of Cumberland is undergoing allows B.C. Ferries to operate a more efficient vessel for decades into the future,” said Mark Wilson, vicepresident of engineering. “We are confident that our customers will see positive results and we hope they are pleased with this commitment to reliable service.”

Included in the refit is installation of a new deck entrance for walk-on passengers, a new evacuation system, installation of a pet area, overhaul of the elevator and upgrades to the ship’s public-address system and security systems.

Because the vehicle capacity of the Bowen Queen is lower than that of the Queen of Cumberland, B.C. Ferries will deploy the Skeena Queen on the Swartz Bay-Southern Gulf Islands route during the morning and late-afternoon periods to better meet expected demand.

The Skeena Queen services the Swartz Bay-Fulford Harbour route, where the Bowen Queen will provide service during those same peak times.

To maintain the capacity levels to and from Salt Spring Island, B.C. Ferries will add sailings to the Swartz Bay-Fulford Harbour and Vesuvius Bay-Crofton routes.