A passenger-only ferry service using high-speed catamarans between Nanaimo and downtown Vancouver will begin service next summer vows the private company behind the venture.
Plans call for a 70-minute trip with fares at “affordable” rates on multiple daily sailings, said Alastair Caddick, chief executive of Vancouver Island Ferry Company.
“We are certainly aiming to be at a cost-effective price point for travel between the Island and Vancouver.”
Customers will be able to reserve seats in different classes and the system will accommodate walk-on passengers, he said.
Business work stations, Wi-Fi, charging stations for smart phones, and food services will be available, he said.
Passengers are expected to be a mix of business commuters, people visiting family and friends or heading to sports and entertainment events, and tourists, he said. All those different needs “give us a very strong business case.”
Most details about the two-ferry service and the vessels themselves will be released in the spring, he said.
The ferries, each with four engines, will run on diesel fuel, he said.
“Islanders and mainlanders have been asking for a modern, fast and cost-effective way to travel between the Island and Vancouver,” said Caddick. “We are so excited to be bringing forward an essential transportation service to the region and are committed to its long-term success.”
Shipbuilder Damen is constructing the two catamarans at its shipyard in Vietnam, he said. They are 95 per cent complete and the shipyard is in the process of customizing them for the ferry company.
The ferries will be carried to sa国际传媒 on board a larger ship and are anticipated to be delivered to Point Hope Maritime in Victoria in the late spring for registration and testing before heading to Nanaimo, he said. Point Hope already has an agreement to service Damen-built vessels used by sa国际传媒 Ferries.
Each ferry will have the capacity for 350 passengers and will be based in Nanaimo, Caddick said.
Names are being discussed with the Sneneymuxw First Nation, he said.
The ferry plan was first announced in September 2021 but with no starting date.
A downtown Nanaimo-downtown Vancouver ferry has long been on Nanaimo’s wish list.
The new service is to run between Nanaimo Port Authority’s terminal and the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre, at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
sa国际传媒 Ferries operates sailings out of Nanaimo’s Departure Bay to West Vancouver’s Horseshoe Bay and from Duke Point to Tsawwassen ferry terminal, but does not sail into downtown Vancouver.
Several attempts have been made in previous years to offer downtown-to-downtown passenger service, but they either did not last long or never sailed.
Caddick said things are different this time.
The company has arranged for a 30-year lease with the Nanaimo Port Authority, up from 20 years initially.
The venture is fully funded, meaning it has the money needed to operate the service, he said. Conqora Capital Partners of Toronto is among the investors.
Investors are Canadian and international, said Caddick, who did not provide further details.
The Nanaimo-headquartered ferry company expects to hire between 50 and 60 crew members in the city, with a couple more in Vancouver, he said.
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