New ferry service between Vancouver and Nanaimo to start in 2023

tomtidgewellNovember 11, 2022

A new passenger ferry service connecting downtown Vancouver and downtown Nanaimo is scheduled to begin next year.

Vancouver Island Ferry Company has announced that it will begin service between the Nanaimo Port Authority Terminal and the Harbor Flight Center in Vancouver’s Downtown Convention Center in the summer of 2023.

In a news release, the company said the trip would only take 70 minutes.

That’s about 30 minutes faster than the BC Ferry, which runs between Nanaimo’s Departure Bay Terminal and West Vancouver’s Horseshoe Bay. The private service also cuts travel time from the ferry terminal to the heart of downtown by approximately 30-40 minutes.

“Islanders and Mainlanders have been asking for a modern, fast and cost-effective way to travel between the islands and Vancouver,” company CEO Alastair Caddick said in a release. increase. “We are very pleased to provide essential transportation services to the region and are fully committed to its long-term success.”

Two high-speed catamarans built by Dutch-based shipbuilder Damen Group will carry passengers. Each ship can carry over 350 passengers on her.

The company said it plans to announce flight schedules and fare details early next year.

This is not the first time a passenger ferry service between Nanaimo and Vancouver has been attempted.

In 1969, Pacific Hovercraft launched a 35-passenger vessel on the route, but lasted only a few months.

In 1992 a Norwegian company started the Royal Sealink Express. It operated the Nanaimo-Vancouver route and the Victoria-Vancouver service, but was discontinued after less than a year due to low passenger numbers.

The most recent attempt was in 2003 when Harbor Links Ferries launched a 300-passenger catamaran, offering eight daily voyages for about $20 each way. The company was plagued by shipping problems and closed in 2006.

chchan@postmedia.com

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