BC Ferries on Tuesday said that its first LNG-fueled vessel, the Salish Orca departed Gdansk, Poland and set off on it 10,440 nautical mile journey to British Columbia, Canada.
The Salish Orca is the first of three LNG-fueled vessels Remontowa Shipbuilding is constructing for BC Ferries, under a contract signed in July, 2014.
The transatlantic voyage will take approximately 45 to 55 days, depending on weather, BC Ferries said in a statement.
The journey will include stops for refueling in Santa Cruz, Canary Islands and Panama City, Panama, after transiting the Panama Canal and sailing up the west coast of North America to British Columbia.
Salish Orca, BC Ferries’ first natural gas-powered vessel, is scheduled to arrive in B.C. in January for crew training and familiarization. The ferry is scheduled to enter service between Powell River and Comox in the spring of 2017.
The new intermediate class vessel will be the first vessels in BC Ferries’ fleet to operate as dual-fuel capable using liquefied natural gas (LNG) or diesel fuel for propulsion and power generation.
BC Ferries will take final acceptance and ownership of Salish Orca upon final inspection once the vessel arrives in B.C. Remontowa Shipbuilding is responsible to deliver the ship to B.C. and has contracted an international ship delivery specialist, the statement reads.
Some of BC Ferries’ crew members are on various legs of the voyage for training and familiarization.