First it was buses. Then fire pumpers and garbage trucks.Now BC Ferries is receiving $75 million in loans from the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) to purchase four fully electric Island class ferries and associated charging gear.The new boats will replace similar hybrid diesel/electric units it bought to much fanfare in 2020, which are now rendered obsolete. The most recent of those came into service in 2023..In a news release, the CIB said the outlay marks its first foray into zero-emission ferries to complement its existing portfolio of EV buses.The amount doesn’t cover the full cost of the ferries themselves, but rather, the higher up front costs compared to conventional diesel boats. Full costs haven’t been disclosed for the tender contract that was awarded to a Dutch company in January of this year.No Canadian shipyard applied for the bid.The electric ferries and terminal upgrades are to be completed by 2027 and estimated to reduce 9,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.Liberal cabinet ministers lumped the financing in with similar outlays for so-called ‘green’ transit projects.“Greener transit is a vital part of our work to tackle climate change and the work that CIB is doing to support it will go a long way in helping us reach our goals of net zero emissions by 2050,” said Housing Minister Sean Fraser.“More zero-emission ferries will have great benefits for the environment and communities nearby, including quieter vessels and lower carbon emissions. This is another step toward Canada meeting its commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050,” added Transportation Minister Pablo Rodriguez..BC Ferries presently operates 37 vessels serving 25 routes out of 47 terminals spread over 1,600 kilometres of coastline. In the last fiscal year, it carried 9.5 million vehicles and 22.6 million passengers on more than 90,000 round trips.The existing diesel-hybrid vessels will be transferred to other routes to replace ferries that have reached their end of life.Six such vessels were built between 2019 and 2021 in Romania at a cost of $260 million, with the most recent coming into service in January 2023. Each has the capacity for 47 vehicles, and between 300 and 450 passengers and crew.
First it was buses. Then fire pumpers and garbage trucks.Now BC Ferries is receiving $75 million in loans from the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) to purchase four fully electric Island class ferries and associated charging gear.The new boats will replace similar hybrid diesel/electric units it bought to much fanfare in 2020, which are now rendered obsolete. The most recent of those came into service in 2023..In a news release, the CIB said the outlay marks its first foray into zero-emission ferries to complement its existing portfolio of EV buses.The amount doesn’t cover the full cost of the ferries themselves, but rather, the higher up front costs compared to conventional diesel boats. Full costs haven’t been disclosed for the tender contract that was awarded to a Dutch company in January of this year.No Canadian shipyard applied for the bid.The electric ferries and terminal upgrades are to be completed by 2027 and estimated to reduce 9,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.Liberal cabinet ministers lumped the financing in with similar outlays for so-called ‘green’ transit projects.“Greener transit is a vital part of our work to tackle climate change and the work that CIB is doing to support it will go a long way in helping us reach our goals of net zero emissions by 2050,” said Housing Minister Sean Fraser.“More zero-emission ferries will have great benefits for the environment and communities nearby, including quieter vessels and lower carbon emissions. This is another step toward Canada meeting its commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050,” added Transportation Minister Pablo Rodriguez..BC Ferries presently operates 37 vessels serving 25 routes out of 47 terminals spread over 1,600 kilometres of coastline. In the last fiscal year, it carried 9.5 million vehicles and 22.6 million passengers on more than 90,000 round trips.The existing diesel-hybrid vessels will be transferred to other routes to replace ferries that have reached their end of life.Six such vessels were built between 2019 and 2021 in Romania at a cost of $260 million, with the most recent coming into service in January 2023. Each has the capacity for 47 vehicles, and between 300 and 450 passengers and crew.
