The vessel that Riverside Marine intends to operate as a passenger ferry between Victoria’s Inner Harbour and Coal Harbour in Vancouver is now berthed in Victoria, but the service might not operate until next year.
Brisbane, Australia-based Riverside said a complete refit of the vessel, berthed at the Wharf Street marina, is expected to take five or six months and will not start until at least late May.
That means it will not be in service in July as they had hoped.
Nick Cheong, Riverside’s vice-president of operations for the Victoria-to-Vancouver service, said transporting the vessel from Quebec took longer than expected and they are not sure when it will be ready for service.
“We recognized that when we set out to do this we could set all the targets we wanted, but what we are not willing to compromise on is the quality of the experience for the guests coming aboard,” he said. “Whether it’s this summer or next summer, we won’t compromise the quality. You have one chance to give a positive impression to people on board the ship. We will not take that for granted.”
Riverside is in discussion with local shipyards and other contractors to determine the extent of the refit necessary and to map out a schedule to make the vessel ready for service.
Cheong would not divulge the budget for a refit, but Riverside has said they are working with a $15-million budget to buy the vessel and get it ready.
“Yes it’s delayed, and yes that means starting the refit later, but as long as we make sure we get it right that’s what we are prepared to do,” he said.
Cheong said the top priority will be the internal refit, with particular attention to areas where as many as 270 passengers will sit. They will completely redo the internal furnishings, food and beverage areas and entertainment system.
There is also work to be done to the exterior, and Riverside will work with local contractors to determine what is needed on the engines and power plant.
“Right now, the ship is a blank canvas, there’s a lot of work to be done,” he said.
Despite the delay, Cheong said it’s an exciting day for Riverside.
“It’s been a challenging exercise getting it out of Quebec, around the country and over to Victoria,” he said. “This is a major milestone for our project.”
The vessel, Famille Dufour II, was towed from Tadoussac, Que., on the St. Lawrence River to Halifax where it was loaded onto a heavy-lift ship.
It was transported down the Eastern Seaboard, through the Panama Canal and arrived in Victoria this week.
Riverside’s delay could mean Victoria Clipper will be the first to offer direct passenger-ferry service between Victoria and Vancouver this year.
Clipper, which runs a high-speed passenger-only service between Victoria and Seattle, plans to expand its operations to include harbour-to-harbour service between Victoria and Vancouver this spring. Details on when Clipper’s 400-passenger vessel is to arrive in Victoria have not been released.
Prince of Whales has been offering a six-hour tour that takes customers from the Inner Harbour to Vancouver’s Coal Harbour.
