Third Island-class ferry to arrive in Victoria this week
The third Island-class ferry built in Romania for B.C. Ferries is expected to pull into Point Hope Maritime in Victoria within days.
It will be followed by the fourth Island-class ferry, which made its way through the Panama Canal this past weekend.
Patbaywebcam.com recently noticed Island 3 had slowed and circled off the coast of California as it faced strong headwinds and high seas.
Astrid Chang, manager of corporate communications for B.C. Ferries, said Tuesday the alterations of course and speed were related to the weather conditions Island 3 was encountering, adding the vessel also refuelled in Long Beach. She said the ship is expected to arrive in B.C. in the coming days. On Tuesday afternoon, Island 3 was travelling at 7.5 knots, according to vesselfinder.com, which predicts the ship will be in Victoria on Wednesday at 3 p.m. It departed Damen Shipyard in Romania in late May.
It is scheduled to start service on the Campbell River-Quadra Island route next year, sharing the job with the fourth Islandclass ferry.
Island 4 left Romania in early June. Travelling at 8.9 knots, it’s expected in B.C. on Aug. 10, according to vesselfinder.com.
After the ships arrive in Victoria and are inspected by Point Hope Maritime, they will be turned over to B.C. Ferries.
Island 4 stopped in Spain to have work done on its thrusters.
Island-class ferries are battery-equipped ships designed for full electric operation once charging infrastructure is constructed on shore. The ships are fitted with a hybrid technology for the interim. The interior and exterior design of the new vessels reduces underwater radiated noise and emissions, B.C. Ferries said.