The public can provide feedback until mid-January on the application B.C. Ferries filed Friday to build five new major vessels.
The company says it’s seeking to bump up service on its busiest routes to meet growing demand, replace aging vessels and prepare for more growth.
It says it also wants to increase accessibility for wheelchairs through wider walkways and larger turning spaces on board, including in washrooms.
Another new feature of the vessels would be interior pet areas with stainless steel kennels, areas for owners and pets to sit together to reduce pet anxiety, a hand-washing sink, a dog drinking fountain and pet “relieving” areas with artificial turf. The areas would give pets a space to go where they don’t have to hear car alarms, the application says.
B.C. Ferries Commissioner Eva Hage is expected to respond to the application within 60 days.
The public can provide input until Jan. 17 to the B.C. Ferries Commissioner via bcferrycommission.ca, where B.C. Ferries’ almost 200-page application can be viewed.
If the new major vessels — each able to carry 2,100 passengers and crew — are approved, the first is expected to arrive in 2029, with the rest arriving about every six months after that.
The diesel-battery hybrid vessels, to be deployed on major routes between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, will have the ability to convert to full electric power if infrastructure is available at terminals.
They would be built through individual contracts for each ship under an agreement with one shipyard, the application said.
Work is also planned to extend the lives of the Queens of Surrey and Oak Bay, along with infrastructure upgrades at terminals to accommodate new vessels.
The design of the new major ferries is expected to be finalized in 2025, the application said.
Route allocations have yet to be decided, but under one possible scenario, three new major vessels and two Spirit-class vessels could serve Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen.
Two Coastal-class vessels could serve Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay, two new major vessels and one Coastal class vessels could run between Duke Point and Tsawwassen, and two C-class vessels could run between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale.
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