PORT HARDY, B.C.- The newest vessel to the BC Ferries fleet is one step closer to arriving in the province.
The Northern Sea Wolf left Athens, Greece on November 3rd, and recently went through the Panama Canal.
The next stop on the journey is Manzanillo, Mexico. From there, the ship will continue to sail up the west coast of North America to British Columbia.
The Public Affairs Manager with BC Ferries, Darin Guenette, said the vessel is due into Victoria “a little more than a week from now.”
The vessel was built in 2000 and will fit a minimum of 35 vehicles and 150 passengers and crew. It will serve the new Port Hardy to Bella Coola route.
Guennette said five times a week it will go directly between Port Hardy and Bella Coola. The other two days, it will run between Bella Bella and Bella Coola.
Upon its arrival to BC, a local shipyard will perform a mid-life upgrade.
“We’re gonna have to do a complete internal renovation,” said Guenette.
“It’s essentially going to be gutted. We’re going to put in seating and all the amenities that you would normally have on a ferry.”
The Northern Sea Wolf will also provide year-round service to Bella Bella, Shearwater and Ocean Falls. Customers can track the vessel’s progress at vesselfinder.com.
The new service will begin on June 18th, 2018. You can find further details about the new vessel and a schedule here.
