BC Ferries' new Salish Orca arrives on West Coast

The first of three new vessels in the BC Ferries fleet has arrived in B.C. waters following a two-month long journey from Poland.

The Salish Orca logged about10,000 nautical miles and travelled through the Panama Canal on its way from theshipyard in Gdansk, Poland, where it was built. The journey took nearly two months.

The Salish Class ships will be the first in the fleet powered by a dual system that can operate onliquid natural gas ordiesel. Both fuels were tested during the journey, said BC Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall.

"The vessel did run on both LNG as well as diesel, so it was very successful testing it on both types of fuel," she said.

The Salish Orcawill dock at aB.C. Ferries facilityin Richmond to undergo inspections and certification before crew training begins, Marshall said.

"We actually don't own the vessel yet. It is still with RemontowaShipbuilding. They technically had to deliver the vessel to British Columbia before we would take ownership," she said.

The Salish Orca will replace the aging Queen of Burnaby that serves the route between Powell River on the Sunshine Coast and Comox on Vancouver Island.

The other two Salish Class ferries that are being built in Poland are scheduled for delivery to B.C. later this year and will service the Southern Gulf Islands.