The Queen of Prince Rupert is still traveling the waters of the north coast, but her last voyage should be sometime in the spring of 2009, when Flensburger-Schiffbau-Gesellschaft shipbuilders of Germany deliver the newest ferry for the BC Ferry fleet.
The BC Ferry Corporation signed a deal with that German shipbuilder on Friday to build a 133 million dollar ship to carry 600 passengers and 130 vehicles. FSG is also the company that has been contracted to build the three Super C class ferries for the southern fleet, so they most likely are aware of the Ferry Corporations requirements and there is no doubt a comfort factor in dealing with them.
FSG has been building ships since 1872 and build everything it seems from Navy vessels to container ships, besides their work in the world of ferry transportation.
According to David Hahn President of BC Ferries, no Canadian ship yard could meet the accelerated timeline to bid for the project, sending the Ferry Corporation overseas. Those comments and other past issues has raised the ire of shipbuilders in BC, who see a troubling pattern in recent BC Ferry fleet procurement decisions.
The decision to purchase new from a German ship builder suggests at least three more years of life for the Queen of Prince Rupert, leaving the only outstanding issue for the North at the moment the replacement for the Queen of the North which sunk in March of this year. At the moment the Ferry Corporation is in negotiations to purchase a ship from Spain called the Sonia, it’s hoped that the vessel will be available for transit along the north coast in early 2007.
A search of the net found this bit of information (complete with numerous pictures)on the replacement vessel for the Queen of the North, a ship that is certainly coming with a bit of colourful history in its background. Already the jibes have started and the thing isn't even officially bought yet, such is the fate of anything that the Ferry Corporation does!
As for the news of the day, The Daily News had all the particulars about the long awaited announcement in the Friday edition.
BC FERRIES TO BUILD REPLACEMENT SHIP
By Sarah Fox
The Daily News
Friday, August 18, 2006
Pages One and Two
B. C. Ferries announced today that it will be building a new vessel to replace the 40 year old Queen of Prince Rupert, which has been the sole ferry running along the Inside Passage since the sinking of the Queen of the North on March 22.
The $133 million ship will be in service by the spring of 2009, said B. C. Ferries President David Hahn.
“The new vessel is of comparable size, we’re talking 55 modern state rooms, 130 vehicles and 600 passengers,” said Hahn.
“It’s very similar to the Queen of Prince Rupert.
“I think it’s a heck of a lot better in the way that it burns fuel, passenger amenities, safety equipment … I mean you can go on and on. It’s much, much better.”
B. C. Ferries has selected the German ship-building company Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG), to build the new vessel.
This is the same shipyard that will be supplying three new “Super C class” vessels for the provinces southern ferry routes.
B. C. Ferries went with FSG because no Canadian ship yards entered a bid for the ship building contract.
Replacing the Queen of Prince Rupert is just one step in the process to upgrade the entire Northern ferry system.
“The contract from Flensburger is to replace the Queen of Prince Rupert, we are separately and independent from that pursuing a replacement vessel (for the Queen of the North) that wouldn’t be a new build,” said Hahn.
“It had to be a used vessel to replace the Queen of the North because we need it for next summer.
“So we’re in the final stages of negotiations to acquire a ship known as the Sonja (from Spain) … but if we’re not successful with that, for whatever reason, we’ve actually arranged for the charter of another vessel that would gut us by the next three years and then we would look at other alternatives, but the plan is to get a vessel up there under all scenarios next summer to replace the Queen of the North.”
He said the ship replacing the Queen of Prince Rupert will have a wide range of the latest safety equipment.
“The safety equipment will be state-of-the-art … the whole life saving evacuation systems, the way fire suppression is handled, the stability of the vessel is probably the biggest thing that will be better,” said Hahn
“It’s not much different than if you owned a car from 1964 and bought a car in 2006, you could start with air bags and work your way through I don’t know how many safety features – it’s the same type of thing with the new ferry – substantially upgraded.”
The new ferry will operate between Port Hardy and Prince Rupert on the Inside Passage route.
Key highlights of the contract with FSG include
* FSG takes all design, construction and delivery risk:
* guarantees are in place for vessel completion date:
* favourable payment terms with 80 per cent payment upon vessel completion:
* fixed-price contracts with potential savings for steel price decreases:
* vessel performance guarantees related to speed, carrying capacity maneuverability and fuel consumption:
* warranties above industry standard and penalties for late delivery.
***Other news resources on this story***
Vancouver Sun, August 19, 2006
Globe and Mail, August 18, 2006
CBC News August, 18, 2006
CBC News August 21, 2006
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