Later this month, BC Ferries’ fourth and final Salish class vessel, the Salish Heron, is set to arrive in Victoria, British Columbia, where it is expected to begin service later this year.
The vessel began its more than 10,000-nautical-mile trek from Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. in Gdansk, Poland on Dec. 22.
When it arrives in Victoria, the vessel is set to go through inspection at Ogden Point, then head to the Fleet Maintenance Unit in Richmond before BC Ferries officially take ownership of the Salish Heron. There’s also where Coast Salish artist Maynard Johnny Jr.’s design will be applied to the vessel.
All four Salish vessels feature Indigenous work that, according to BC Ferries, acknowledges “the Coast Salish sailors as original navigators of these coastal waters.”
Like the three other Salish class vessels – the Salish Orca, Salish Eagle and Salish Raven – the Salish Heron can accommodate up to 138 vehicles and 600 passengers and crew, runs on liquefied natural gas and features a hull design that makes for a small wake and the electric propulsion and structural design for a quiet ride, the ferry agency said.
