BC Ferries

At its inception, BC Ferries was a division of the British Columbia Toll Highways and Bridges Authority, a provincial Crown corporation. Through successive reorganizations, it evolved into the British Columbia Ferry Authority and then the British Columbia Ferry Corporation, both of which were also provincial Crown corporations. In 2003, the Government of British Columbia announced that BC Ferries, which had been in debt, would be reorganized into a private corporation, implemented through the passage of the Coastal Ferry Act^[3] (Bill 18–2003). The single voting share of BC Ferries Corporation is held by the provincial government's BC Ferry Authority, which operates under the rules of the Act.

In the summer of 1958, a strike by employees of CP Steamships and the Black Ball Line caused the Social Credit government of W. A. C. Bennett to decide that the coastal ferry service in British Columbia needed to be government-owned, and so it set about creating BC Ferries. Minister of Highways Phil Gaglardi was tasked with overseeing the new Crown corporation and its rapid expansion.

BC Ferries' first route, commissioned in 1960, was between Swartz Bay, north of SidneyonVancouver Island, and Tsawwassen, an area in Delta, using just two vessels. These ships were the now-retired MVTsawwassen and the MV Sidney. The next few years saw a dramatic growth of the B.C. ferry system as it took over operations of the Black Ball Line and other major private companies providing vehicle ferry service between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. As the ferry system expanded and started to service other small coastal communities, BC Ferries had to build more vessels, many of them in the first five years of its operations, to keep up with the demand. Another method of satisfying increasing demand for service was BC Ferries' unique "stretch and lift" program, involving seven vessels being cut in half and extended, and five of those vessels later cut in half again and elevated, to increase their passenger and vehicle-carrying capacities. The vast majority of the vessels in the fleet were built in B.C. waters, with only two foreign purchases and one domestic purchase. In the mid-1980s, BC Ferries took over the operations of the saltwater branch of the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, which ran ferry services to very small coastal communities. This action dramatically increased the size of BC Ferries' fleet and its geographical service area. The distinctive "dogwood on green" flag that BC Ferries used between 1960 and 2003 gave the service its popular nickname "the Dogwood Fleet".

During the 1990s, the NDP government commissioned a series of three fast ferries to improve ferry service between the Mainland and Vancouver Island. The ships proved problematic when they suffered many technical issues and cost double what was expected. The fast ferries were eventually sold off for $19.4 million in 2003.

A controversy began in July 2004 when BC Ferries, under a new American CEO, announced that the company had disqualified all Canadian bids to build three new Coastal-class ships, and only the proposals from European shipyards were being considered. The contract was estimated at $542 million for the three ships, each designed to carry 370 vehicles and 1600 passengers.

The argument for domestic construction of the ferries was that it would employ numerous British Columbia workers, revitalize the sagging B.C. shipbuilding industry, and entitle the provincial government to a large portion of the cost in the form of taxes. BC Ferries CEO David Hahn claimed that building the ferries in Germany would "save almost $80 million and could lead to lower fares."^[4]

On September 17, 2004, BC Ferries awarded^[5] the vessel construction contract to Germany's Flensburger shipyard. The contract protected BC Ferries from any delays through a fixed price and fixed schedule contract. Coastal Renaissance entered service in March 2008, while Coastal Inspiration was delivered the same month and entered service in June that year. The third ship, Coastal Celebration, was delivered in June of the same year and entered service in November.

On August 18, 2006, BC Ferries commissioned^[6] Flensburger to build a new vessel for its Inside Passage route, with the contract having many of the same types of terms as that for the Coastal-class vessels. The new northern service vessel, Northern Expedition, was delivered in March 2008, and entered service in May of the same year.

On August 26, 2012, BC Ferries announced that it would be cutting 98 round trips on its major routes starting in the fall and winter of 2012 as part of a four-year plan to save $1 million on these routes. Service cuts have included the elimination of supplementary sailings on the Swartz Bay–Tsawwassen route, 18 round trips on the Horseshoe Bay–Departure Bay route, and 48 round trips, the largest number of cuts, on the Duke Point–Tsawwassen route, with plans to look for savings on the smaller unprofitable routes in the future.^[7]

Free ferry trips for seniors were suspended from April 2014^[8] to April 2018.^[9]

In the fall of 2014, BC Ferries announced the addition of three new Intermediate-class ferries to phase out Queen of Burnaby and Queen of Nanaimo.^[10][11] These three vessels were to be named the Salish class; Salish Orca, Salish Eagle and Salish Raven. In 2022, Salish Heron, the fourth Salish-class vessel, entered service. All four ferries were designed and built by Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. in Gdansk, Poland, and are dual-fuel, capable of operating on liquefied natural gas and marine diesel. These vessels are a part of BC Ferries standardized fleet plan, which will take the number of ship classes in the BC Ferries fleet from 17 to 5.^[12] The proposed replacement classes are Northern, Major, Salish, Shuttle and Island. Additionally, there will still be three unique (unclassed) vessels in the fleet after standardization is complete. BC Ferries has stated, however, that this total standardization of the fleet will not be achieved for another 40 years. As of March 2024, the fleet has so far been reduced to 11 classes of vessels, with 8 unique (unclassed) vessels remaining as well.

Route numbers are used internally by BC Ferries. All routes except Route 13 and the Unregulated Routes carry vehicles.^[13]

Figures displayed are annual vehicle equivalent and annual passengers.

Route 2 – Georgia Strait Central (Highway 1): Nanaimo (via Departure Bay) to Horseshoe Bay

Route 3 – Howe Sound: LangdaletoHorseshoe Bay

Route 4 – Satellite Channel: Swartz BaytoSaltspring Island (via Fulford Harbour)

Route 5 – Swanson Channel: Swartz Bay to the Southern Gulf Islands (Galiano Island (via Sturdies Bay), Mayne Island (Via Village Bay), Pender Island (via Otter Bay), and Saturna Island (via Lyall Harbour)

Route 6 – South Stuart Channel: CroftontoSaltspring Island (via Vesuvius)

Route 7 – Jervis Inlet (Highway 101): Earls CovetoSaltery Bay

Route 8 – Queen Charlotte Channel: Horseshoe BaytoBowen Island (via Snug Cove)

Route 9 – Active Pass Shuttle: Tsawwassen to the Southern Gulf Islands (Galiano Island (via Sturdies Bay), Mayne Island (via Village Bay), Pender Island (via Otter Bay), Saturna Island (via Lyall Harbour), and Saltspring Island (via Long Harbour)

Route 10 – Inside Passage: Port Hardy (via Bear Cove) to Prince Rupert (onKaien Island)

Route 11 – Hecate Strait (Highway 16): Prince Rupert (onKaien Island) to Haida Gwaii (via Skidegate, on Graham Island)

Route 12 – Saanich Inlet: Brentwood BaytoMill Bay

Route 13 – Thornbrough Channel: LangdaletoGambier Island (via New Brighton) and Keats Island (via Keats Landing and Eastbourne). (Foot passengers only, no vehicles). (Operated by Kona Winds Yacht Charters Ltd.)

Route 17 – Georgia Strait North: Powell River (via Westview) to Comox (via Little River)

Route 18 – Malaspina Strait: Powell River (via Westview) to Texada Island (via Blubber Bay)

Route 19 – Northumberland Channel: Nanaimo HarbourtoGabriola Island (via Descanso Bay)

Route 20 – North Stuart Channel: ChemainustoThetis Island (via Preedy Harbour) and Penelakut Island (via Telegraph Harbour)

Route 21 – Baynes Sound: Buckley BaytoDenman Island (via Denman West)

Route 22 – Lambert Channel: Denman Island East (via Gravelly Bay) to Hornby Island (via Shingle Spit)

Route 23 – Discovery Passage: Campbell RivertoQuadra Island (via Quathiaski Cove)

Route 24 – Sutil Channel: Quadra Island (via Heriot Bay) to Cortes Island (via Whaletown)

Route 25 – Broughton Strait: Port McNeilltoAlert Bay (onCormorant Island) and Sointula (onMalcolm Island)

Route 26 – Skidegate Inlet: Skidegate (onGraham Island) to Alliford Bay (onMoresby Island)

Route 28 – Central Coast Connector: Port Hardy (via Bear Cove) to Bella Coola (seasonal direct summer service)/Route 28A: Port HardytoBella Coola (with stops at Bella Bella (via McLoughlin Bay, on Campbell Island), Klemtu, Ocean Falls, and Shearwater)

Route 30 – Mid-Island Express (Highway 19): Nanaimo (via Duke Point) to Tsawwassen

These are contracted routes that carry foot passengers only, but no vehicles, and are sponsored by BC Ferries.^[14]

• Route 25u – Broughton Strait: Port McNeilltoAlert Bay (onCormorant Island) and Sointula (onMalcolm Island) (Acts as a water taxi/school trip ferry) (Operated by Western Pacific Marine Ltd.)
• Route 51 – Vancouver Island West: Ahousat (onFlores Island) to Hotsprings Cove and Tofino (Operated by various water taxis)
• Route 53 – Vancouver Island Northwest: KyuquottoTahsis and Gold River (Operated by Get West Adventure Cruises)
• Route 54 – Inside Passage: Dodge Cove (onDigby Island) to Prince Rupert (via Cow Bay, on Kaien Island) (Operated by West Coast Launch)
• Route 55 – Georgia Strait North-Central: French CreektoLasqueti Island (via False Bay) (Operated by Western Pacific Marine Ltd.).^[15]
• Route 59 – Vancouver Island West: BamfieldtoKildonan and Port Alberni (Operated by Lady Rose Marine Services)
• Route 60 – Inside Passage: Hartley BaytoKitkatla (onDolphin Island), Oona River (onPorcher Island), Metlakatla, and Prince Rupert (onKaien Island) (Operated by North Co Corp.)
• Unnumbered Route – Inside Passage: Prince Rupert (onKaien Island) to Port Simpson (also known as Lax Kw'alaams) (Operated by the Lax Kw'alaams First Nation).

Numbers in blue circles are ferry route numbers. Provincial highway trailblazers are added where appropriate.

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  Zone 1 – Southern Gulf Islands
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  Zone 2 – Central Georgia Strait
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  Zone 3 – Northern Georgia Strait
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  Zone 4 – Queen Charlotte Sound
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  Zone 5 – North Coast

BC Ferries has the largest fleet of vehicle ferry vessels in the world. There are at least 45 vessels, ranging from small passenger-only water taxis, up to the 358-car Spirit-class ferries. All of the vessels in use by BC Ferries are roll-on/roll-off car ferries. Most of the major vessels are based on similar designs, which are aggregated into classes of ferries:

• Island-class ferry
• Salish-class ferry
• Spirit-class ferry
• Coastal-class ferry
• C-class ferry
• I-class ferry
• Century-class ferry
• Q-class ferry
• T-class ferry
• K-class ferry
• N-class ferry
• Unclassed ships of BC Ferries

• List of BC Ferries accidents and incidents

• Barnston Island Ferry – a ferry operated by the BC Ministry of Transportation
• Black Ball Line
• Kootenay Lake Ferry – a ferry in the British Columbia interior operated by the BC Ministry of Transportation

• Alaska Marine Highway – Alaska's Marine Highway System, similar to BC Ferries. Also serves Prince Rupert.
• Inter-Island Ferry Authority
• Marine Atlantic – An east-coast analogue of BC Ferries.
• Washington State Ferries
• Baja Ferries - a Mexican analogue of BC Ferries

• Allied Shipbuilders Ltd.
• Burrard Dry Dock
• Vancouver Shipyard
• Victoria Machinery Depot
• Washington Marine Group – Originally called the Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd.
• Yarrow Shipbuilders

• Bannerman, Gary and Patricia. The Ships of British Columbia – An Illustrated History of the British Columbia Ferry Corporation. Surrey: Hancock House Publishers, 1985

• Official website  
• BC Ferries Tracking – realtime vessel positions
• West Coast Ferries Discussion Forum
• BC Ferry & Marine Workers Union
• BC Ferries Commission
• BC Ferries and Ships on the BC Coast (very extensive photo galleries)