BC Ferries is pleased to announce it has officially taken ownership of the new cable ferry, the Baynes Sound Connector, with the title transferred from Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards.
During rigorous acceptance trials and testing conducted by Seaspan in conjunction with BC Ferries, the new cable ferry met or exceeded all contract specifications, including speed and lower fuel consumption compared to the Quinitsa, the vessel currently in service on this route.
“We are very pleased with the new cable ferry’s performance,” said Mike Corrigan, BC Ferries’ President and CEO. “In operational trials, the vessel exceeded its maximum design speed of 8.5 knots fully loaded, achieving a speed of 8.7 knots, with crossing times consistent with the Quinitsa.”
“All speeds have been achieved on the designed one engine operation, and the second engine is there for complete redundancy,” said Mark Wilson, BC Ferries’ vice president of engineering. “The horsepower of one engine is approximately 490, compared to the Quinitsa, which has four engines at 475 horsepower each. The trials indicated significantly lower fuel consumption than the current vessel,” he added.
Tension-measuring devices on the cables show the cables are functioning as planned, and the loads are within the results predicted. The cables operate under 15-20 tonnes of tension and the weight of the cables has not impacted the speed of the vessel.
BC Ferries will now be conducting their own rigorous crew training and familiarization over the next eight weeks as the company prepares for full operational service. There will be further activities on the vessel and at the terminals which will include a Transport Canada certification, as well as daytime and nighttime cable change-outs and emergency recovery procedures to ensure proficiency. Final adjustments to the floating pontoons will also be made at both terminals.
The Baynes Sound Connector is expected to be in full operational service in early February 2016. Passengers will continue to be served by the Quinitsa until the Baynes Sound Connector goes into service.
“BC Ferries maintains its commitment to the residents of Denman and Hornby Islands that the cable ferry will provide the same level of reliable service as the Quinitsa,” said Corrigan. “We are pleased to deliver our customers a quality product that operates to our very high safety and reliability standards.”
Under contract to the Province of British Columbia, BC Ferries is the service provider responsible for the delivery of safe, efficient and dependable