BC Ferries submits five-newbuild plan to increase ferry capacity

BC Ferries has now formally submitted a plan to build five new vessels to the BC Ferries Commissioner. The company said that if approved, the project would be the largest capital investment in the organisation’s history, increasing ferry capacity, resiliency, and reliability for British Columbia’s coastal communities and economies.

In 2024, BC Ferries handled its highest peak season traffic ever. The project proposes to replace four aging vessels and add one new vessel to the fleet, adding space on the busiest routes between Vancouver and Vancouver Island.

The aim is to reduce wait times and boost overall capacity by up to 28 per cent for passengers and 19 per cent for vehicles. The first of these vessels is expected to enter service in 2029, with five operational by 2031.

“BC Ferries is a marine highway, and we have a responsibility to provide reliable service to keep people and goods moving in British Columbia,” said Nicolas Jimenez, BC Ferries CEO.

“We’ve heard from our customers that our busiest routes are too often fully booked during peak travel times, leaving many without access to the sailings they need. Without the addition of these vessels on our major routes, we’ll be unable to keep pace with the rising population and it’ll create a real impact on the economies of coastal communities.”

The additional capacity of the upgraded fleet is also projected to enable nearly 130,000 incremental tourists to travel through the region and enable an increase in commercial truck traffic that is estimated to see over CA$240 million worth of additional cargo transported in 2035.