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Victoria Harbour Ferry triples its electric fleet

Victoria Harbour Ferry will add two new zero-emission vessels to its fleet before the end of this month.
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Skipper Mitch Wierenga aboard the electric vessel Tina on Monday.

Victoria Harbour Ferry will add two new zero-emission vessels to its fleet before the end of this month.

The company, which put its first electric passenger vessel into the water last summer, will add two more on Saturday to carry passengers along the company’s 60-minute cruise of the Gorge Waterway.

“We’ve been experiencing growing demand across our operations and decided to expand our fleet of electric vessels rather than bring more diesel boats into service,” said Nick Samsom, president of Victoria Harbour Ferry. “The move to electric boats makes economic sense for our company and it aligns with our commitment to keep the waterway clean and pristine.”

Samsom noted the 26-year-old company has played a significant role in revitalizing the waterway by transporting cleanup volunteers and helping to remove debris.

The difference between using three electric vessels on the route and three diesel-fuelled boats is about 8,000 litres of fuel per season. The electric vessels are propelled by a 3.5-horsepower electric engine powered by 16 batteries.

The vessels can travel at five nautical miles per hour and operate for up to 160 kilometres on a single charge — enough to complete a full day’s operations on the water with power to spare.

The layout of the new vessels, built by Duffy Boats of California, offers 360-degree viewing for up to 10 passengers, with full sun and wind protection.

The Gorge Cruise is offered between March and October, with 15 departures daily between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. during July and August.

With the three electric vessels, the entire Harbour Ferry fleet is 18 strong, with as many as 50 captains in peak season.

There are 14 ferry stops around the Inner Harbour and Gorge Waterway, and the Victoria Harbour Ferry operates a taxi service, tours and pub crawls.

Barry Hobbis, vice-president of operations, said it’s the crew who make the service shine.

“Among our crew, we have people who grew up on the Gorge and around the harbour, former mayors, retired naval officers, a tugboat skipper, jet pilots and folks from all walks of life. Every one of them has great stories to share with our passengers,” he said.

aduffy@timescolonist.com