The Salish Eagle, the second of B.C. Ferries’ three new Salish Class vessels, is on its way to British Columbia.
The natural-gas fuelled vessel left shipyards in Gdansk, Poland on Saturday for a 10,440-nautical-mile journey that will take 45 to 55 days, depending on weather.
It is expected to arrive in April and will be involved in crew training until it’s put in service in the Southern Gulf Islands this summer.
“We are looking forward to introducing all three new Salish Class vessels into service this year, which will serve British Columbians for decades to come,” said B.C. Ferries president Mike Corrigan. “We plan to operate these ships on natural gas, which will improve our environmental footprint and reduce operating costs.”
The artwork created to adorn Salish Eagle, designed by Stz'uminus First Nation’s John Marston, will be applied on the ship when it arrives in B.C. The trip will include stops for refuelling in Santa Cruz, Canary Islands and Panama City, Panama. After transiting the Panama Canal, the ferry will sail up the west coast of North America.
Anyone can track the progress of the vessel, including course, position and speed at vesselfinder.com.
All three Salish Class vessels are 105 metres long and can each carry 145 vehicles and 600 passengers. They cost a total of about $200 million.
The Salish Orca, the first of the ferries to be built, arrived in B.C. in January after a 50-day journey from Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. in Gdansk, Poland.
It is scheduled to be in operation by early spring on the Powell River-Comox route.
The Salish Raven will leave Poland in the coming weeks, and will also be put into service in the Southern Gulf Islands.
