BC Ferries newest vessel arrived in B.C. Monday morning.
Salish Eagle took 38 days to travel 10,440 nautical miles from a shipyard in Gdansk, Poland to Ogden Point in Victoria.
Once Salish Eagle clears Canadian Customs and final inspections are complete, the vessel will be officially handed over to BC Ferries.
On Tuesday, the ship will proceed to BC Ferries’ refit facility in Richmond to prepare for operational service.
The vessel will then be moved to the Tsawwassen terminal in mid-April for crew training and familiarization, and to continue to ready the ship for regular operation.
It will enter service on the Tsawwassen – Southern Gulf Islands route at the end of June.
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Its sister ship, Salish Orca, that arrived in B.C. in January, will start service on the Comox – Powell River route late next month.
Salish Raven, the third Salish Class vessel, will depart Poland for B.C. in April.
The Salish Class vessels are BC Ferries’ first natural gas-fuelled vessels. BC Ferries says using natural gas as the primary fuel source is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and nearly eliminate particulate matter.