BC Ferries has picked a Chinese shipyard to build four new Major Vessels for travel.
In a media briefing today, the ferry-line announced China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards (CMI Weihai) will build the vessels, that will replace four aging ships that are nearing the end of their service life.
The new vessels will produce lower greenhouse gas emissions, improve fuel efficiency, lower underwater radiated noise to protect marine life, offer more space for customers, and feature upgraded amenities for travellers.
The ferry-line started the process to getting this shipyard as they were finishing their project design work, which included a 500-page document that described the ship’s size, speed, and what routes it would be designed for.
Ferries Head of Fleet Renewal Ed Hooper explained that process in the briefing.
“We qualified a number of shipyards from around the world who would be capable of delivering this project for us,” said Hooper.
“We ran a request for supplier qualification process and in the end, we qualified slightly over 20 different shipyards who would receive our Request for Proposals. In September 2024, we sent the request for proposals, 500-page document, 100 or so technical documents, and a copy of the contract we wanted to sign to the shipyard. When we closed the request in January this year, we received proposals from several shipyards worldwide, but not ones from BC or anywhere else in Canada.”
When asked about not getting proposals from BC or other Canadian shipyards, BC Ferries President and CEO Nicolas Jiminez says it’s very difficult for local shipyards to compete at scale when they’re putting in orders of this size and magnitude for both cost and delivery timelines.
He says after evaluating and reviewing the shipyards, they selected CMI Weihai because of their technical and engineering abilities, as well as their in-house design capabilities.
They also found the shipyard has a strong track record of building vessels for large international operators in places like Sweden and Italy, as well as vessels for Canada’s Marine Atlantic ferry company.
“CMI Weihai’s work on a vessel for Marine Atlantic gives the shipyard direct experience meeting Transport Canada regulatory requirements,” said BC Ferries.
With the shipyard selected, the ferry-line will spend the next year or so finishing the design of the first vessel, with construction expected to start in fall 2026.
They aim to get that vessel launched in 2027, and delivered to BC by the end of 2028, and put into service in 2029.
After that, the rest of the vessels will be delivered in six-month intervals, with hopes of getting all four vessels in service between 2029 and 2031.
