They were meant to be the lion of the seas. Instead, they became the chickens. Or turkeys, by any measure.In 1999, BC Ferries’ ‘fast-cat’ — short for ‘fast-catamaran’ — ferries were meant to revolutionize the way Lotuslanders commuted between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, ushering in a brave new domestic shipbuilding industry and slashing travel times for travellers by as much as 35 minutes.Instead, they came in way over budget and caused untold environmental damage to fragile marine ecosystems owing to their powerful wake. The ensuing debacle eventually wound up bringing down the NDP government of former premier Glen Clark in what was dubbed the ‘Fast Cat Fiasco’ by local media.Now they’re rusting in an Egyptian port, listed on Facebook Marketplace by owners looking to salvage them for scrap value..It’s an ignominious ending to a sailor’s yarn that began in 1994 with a $240 million, ten-year capital plan to build three of the super-sleek vessels using specially fabricated aluminum hulls sourced from a North Vancouver shipyard using a unique catamaran design.The NDP government of the day hoped they would jumpstart a domestic marine industry that would be the envy of Canada and indeed the world.Instead the project more than doubled in price, to $463 million and the ferries were criticized for poor fuel economy, efficiency and repeated breakdowns — not to mention massive wakes from its unique jet engines — once they hit the water.Only two ever entered service, the longest for just nine months after it was christened. It turned into such a political football, the Liberal government of Gordon Campbell pulled the plug on the program and sold all three vessels for $20 million, a fraction of their original construction cost.A 1999 report by BC’s Auditor-General concluded the fast ferry project had been beset by "significant breakdowns in both governance and risk management."In a bid to eliminate what was seen as undue political interference in the province’s largest Crown corporation, BC Ferries was essentially privatized and turned over to a third party operator under a management contract — although the province remains its sole shareholder..In many ways, the fast-cats came to symbolize the problems that plague the company to this day.Subsequent vessels were contracted from shipyards in Europe and the Baltics and have proven to be even less reliable. The workers who built the ‘fleet’ of fast ferries went on to find work welding aluminum rail cars.According to the Facebook listing, the deal is being brokered as an “exclusive investment opportunity” via an ex-military consultant with security permissions to engage with the Egyptian Navy. The purchase price is a modest USD$15 million each. Potential investors stand to benefit from a 50/50 profit sharing model upon successful resale. The aluminum construction makes them extremely lightweight and “highly suitable and interesting for conversion into private yachts.”In photos, the boats have retained their original paint schemes. The cafeteria reportedly still has signs advertising Nanaimo bars for $1.50 each.According to a previous post, they were unsuitable for the operating conditions in the Egyptian Red Sea.“The goal is to repatriate these vessels to North American waters where they were originally designed to operate.”
They were meant to be the lion of the seas. Instead, they became the chickens. Or turkeys, by any measure.In 1999, BC Ferries’ ‘fast-cat’ — short for ‘fast-catamaran’ — ferries were meant to revolutionize the way Lotuslanders commuted between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, ushering in a brave new domestic shipbuilding industry and slashing travel times for travellers by as much as 35 minutes.Instead, they came in way over budget and caused untold environmental damage to fragile marine ecosystems owing to their powerful wake. The ensuing debacle eventually wound up bringing down the NDP government of former premier Glen Clark in what was dubbed the ‘Fast Cat Fiasco’ by local media.Now they’re rusting in an Egyptian port, listed on Facebook Marketplace by owners looking to salvage them for scrap value..It’s an ignominious ending to a sailor’s yarn that began in 1994 with a $240 million, ten-year capital plan to build three of the super-sleek vessels using specially fabricated aluminum hulls sourced from a North Vancouver shipyard using a unique catamaran design.The NDP government of the day hoped they would jumpstart a domestic marine industry that would be the envy of Canada and indeed the world.Instead the project more than doubled in price, to $463 million and the ferries were criticized for poor fuel economy, efficiency and repeated breakdowns — not to mention massive wakes from its unique jet engines — once they hit the water.Only two ever entered service, the longest for just nine months after it was christened. It turned into such a political football, the Liberal government of Gordon Campbell pulled the plug on the program and sold all three vessels for $20 million, a fraction of their original construction cost.A 1999 report by BC’s Auditor-General concluded the fast ferry project had been beset by "significant breakdowns in both governance and risk management."In a bid to eliminate what was seen as undue political interference in the province’s largest Crown corporation, BC Ferries was essentially privatized and turned over to a third party operator under a management contract — although the province remains its sole shareholder..In many ways, the fast-cats came to symbolize the problems that plague the company to this day.Subsequent vessels were contracted from shipyards in Europe and the Baltics and have proven to be even less reliable. The workers who built the ‘fleet’ of fast ferries went on to find work welding aluminum rail cars.According to the Facebook listing, the deal is being brokered as an “exclusive investment opportunity” via an ex-military consultant with security permissions to engage with the Egyptian Navy. The purchase price is a modest USD$15 million each. Potential investors stand to benefit from a 50/50 profit sharing model upon successful resale. The aluminum construction makes them extremely lightweight and “highly suitable and interesting for conversion into private yachts.”In photos, the boats have retained their original paint schemes. The cafeteria reportedly still has signs advertising Nanaimo bars for $1.50 each.According to a previous post, they were unsuitable for the operating conditions in the Egyptian Red Sea.“The goal is to repatriate these vessels to North American waters where they were originally designed to operate.”
