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Salish Raven docked at Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal in 2018
Class overview
Name	Salish class
Builders	Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A., Gdańsk, Poland
Operators	BC Ferries
Preceded by	Burnaby class
Built	2016, 2020
In service	2017–present
Planned	4
Completed	4
Active	4
General characteristics
Type	Ferry
Tonnage	8,728 GT 864 DWT
Displacement	4,227 long tons (4,295 t)
Length	107.2 m (351 ft 8 in) oa
Beam	23.5 m (77 ft 1 in)
Installed power	5,952 hp (4,438 kW)
Speed	15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph)
Capacity	600 passengers and crew 138 vehicles

The Salish-class vessels are four intermediate-capacity ferries operated by BC Ferries and were built in 2016 at Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. in Gdańsk, Poland. They were the first dual-fuel powered vessels in British Columbia service, capable of using liquified natural gas or diesel oil to operate. Salish Orca entered service on the Comox–Powell River route in May 2017. Salish Eagle entered service on the Tsawwassen–Southern Gulf Islands route in June 2017. Salish Raven entered service for the Southern Gulf Islands on August 3, 2017. These vessels replaced Queen of Nanaimo and Queen of Burnaby.

Description

The four Salish-class vessels, Salish Eagle, Salish Orca, Salish Raven and Salish Heron, have a displacement of 4,227 long tons (4,295 t) and all measure 8,728 gross tonnage (GT) and max 864 tons deadweight (DWT). Salish-class vessels are 107.2 metres (351 ft 8 in) long overall and 100.69 metres (330 ft 4 in) between perpendiculars. The ferries have a beam of 23.5 metres (77 ft 1 in). They are powered by dual-fuel engines capable of using liquified natural gas (LNG) or diesel fuel to operate. The engines are rated at 5,952 horsepower (4,438 kW). They were the first vessels in British Columbia to be powered by LNG. They have a maximum speed of 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph). Each ship has two car decks. They have capacity for 600 passengers and crew and 138 vehicles measuring 6.1 by 2.6 metres (20.0 ft × 8.5 ft). The ferries have several amenities aboard including a cafeteria, a gift shop and areas for children and pets.

Vessels

Salish class

Name	Year built	Route(s)	Status	Picture
Salish Eagle	2017	9 (Southern Gulf Islands)	Active
Salish Orca	2016	17 (Comox–Powell River)	Active
Salish Raven	2017	5 (Southern Gulf Islands)	Active
Salish Heron	2020	9A (Tsawwassen–Outer Gulf Islands)/refit relief for routes 5/5A during off season	Active

Construction and career

Constructed by Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. in Gdańsk, Poland, the three original vessels of the Salish class were ordered as replacements for the older MV Queen of Burnaby and Queen of Nanaimo. Salish Orca was the first completed, in November 2016, and entered service on May 15, 2017. Salish Eagle was completed in February 2017 and entered service that June. Salish Raven was completed in April 2017 and entered service ahead of schedule on August 3, 2017, after Queen of Nanaimo had significant mechanical issues preventing the ship from continued service. Salish Raven and Salish Eagle sail on the Southern Gulf Islands–Tsawwassen route. Sailish Orca sails on the Powell River–Comox route.

On November 1, 2019, Remontowa Shipbuilding signed a contract with BC Ferries to build the fourth Salish-class vessel, intended to replace the Mayne Queen on the Swartz Bay-Outer Gulf Island run (route 5A). Construction for the fourth Salish-class vessel began on February 4, 2020. The ship was planned to complete sea trials in 2021 before arriving in British Columbia to be outfitted and ultimately enter service in 2022. On March 23, 2021, BC Ferries announced that the name for the fourth Salish-class vessel would be Salish Heron. Salish Heron, started its journey to British Columbia on December 22, 2021 from Gdansk, Poland bound for Victoria. The journey also included a stopover in Manzanillo in Mexico. The ship finally arrived in Victoria on March 3, 2022. The vessel entered service on May 6, 2022 after having its artwork painted to its hull.

Shortly after entering service, the Salish-class vessels experienced several problems; the first was that there was no galley ventilation system and at times the cafeteria's kitchen would reach extreme temperatures, making it unsafe for crews to work in the kitchen. In early 2018, all three Salish-class vessels had a galley ventilation system installed, fixing the issue. The ships' elevators and issues with refuelling were problems; both issues were resolved when the ships were sent to local shipyards for repairs.

On November 7, 2019, Salish Raven suffered a malfunction in one of its propellers at roughly 9:30 am after leaving Pender Island. A tugboat arrived to aid the ferry and all its passengers were disembarked by 1:30 pm. The vessel resumed sailing later that day.

References

1. ^ "Salish Eagle". BC Ferries. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
2. ^ "Salish Orca (9750270)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
3. ^ Wilson, Carla (June 7, 2017). "Last of three Salish-class ferries arrives". Victoria Times-Colonist. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
4. ^ Thomas, Megan (November 22, 2016). "New Salish Orca ferry en route to B.C." CBC News. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
5. ^ Devlin, Megan (August 1, 2017). "New Salish Raven ferry makes inaugural sailing ahead of schedule". CTV News. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
6. Haagen, Ragnar (May 13, 2017). "Salish Orca ready to set sail in B.C. waters". Victoria News. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
7. "Salish Eagle (9750282)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
8. "Salish Raven (9750294)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
9. "Salish Raven". BC Ferries. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
10. "Salish Orca". BC Ferries. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
11. "Application to the British Columbia Ferries Commissioner For New Salish Class Vessel and Island Class Vessels Routes 5, 19 and 23 November 5 2018" (PDF). BC Ferries. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
12. "Remontowa Shipbuilding will build another LNG ferry for Canada". Remontowa Shipbuilding. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
13. "Building the Fourth Ferry For BC Ferries". Remontowa Shipbuilding. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
14. "BC Ferries Fourth LNG-Fuelled Salish Class Vessel Launched" (Press release). BC Ferries. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
15. Wilson, Carla (March 23, 2021). "B.C. Ferries new Salish-class vessel to be called the Salish Heron". Times Colonist. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
16. @BCFerries (March 4, 2022). "The Salish Heron Has Arrived in Victoria" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
17. Wilson, Carla (March 2, 2022). "Salish Heron Ferry Expected to Pull into Victoria Thursday". Tri-City News. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
18. Duffy, Andrew (December 15, 2017). "Glitches on new Salish vessels are to be expected, B.C. Ferries says". Times Colonist. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
19. "Ferry passengers back on land after being stranded off Swartz Bay for more than four hours". Times Colonist. November 7, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.

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• Ships of BC Ferries