After being built, transported to Vancouver Island and going through test runs, two new hybrid diesel-electric ferries will begin service on the Nanaimo-Gabriola Island route in April.
The two vessels will start operating between Descanso Bay and Nanaimo Harbour terminals on April 12, B.C. Ferries said in a press release, with one vessel running 18 hours a day and the other operating during the busiest 12 hours of the day. The ferries will increase vehicle capacity by 49 per cent and passenger capacity by 30 per cent, with double the departure frequency between 6:20 a.m. and 5:05 p.m., the press release said.
The sailing schedules were established with the assistance of the Gabriola Island Ferry Advisory Committee and the community, the ferry company noted in the release.
A foot passenger walkway was added to Nanaimo Harbour terminal in order to meet a request for easier embarking and disembarking.
The two ferries were built and launched from Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania and will replace the MV Quinsam.
For more information, go to www.bcferries.com.
New ferries to begin servicing #GabriolaIsland #Nanaimo #April12. Here's the sailing schedule courtesy @BCFerries. pic.twitter.com/yUKhDRluma
— Karl Yu (@KarlYuBulletin) March 9, 2022
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