Canada loses out on latest BCF order

The Canadian ferry operator, B.C. Ferries (BCF), has signed a contract with German shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau to build a new ferry for its northern route, and says it’s only days from buying another vessel for the same run. It’s all in an effort to fill the void left after the sinking of the ?Queen of the North? last March that killed two passengers.

BCF has picked the firm Flensburger Schiffbau to build the $119 million vessel to replace the aging ?Queen of Prince Rupert?. Flensburger won an earlier order from BCF a build three Super C-class vessels at a cost of $485 million. The announcement angered George MacPherson, head of B.C. Shipyard General Workers’ Federation. “We’ve given them now over $600 million worth of work that should have stayed in Canada and Canadian shipyards,” he said.

But B.C. Ferries president David Hahn said they gave Canadian firms the opportunity to bid on the ship but none could meet the accelerated timeline. “From our stand point, we’ve got a need to build these, and do it right away,” he said. “I think we’ve done a really good job of saving the people of British Columbia a lot of money.” The contract guarantees the completion date, allows for penalties for late delivery and allows for 80% of the payment when the ship is complete.

There was good competition in tendering for the latest vessel between Flensburger and a Finnish shipyard. MacPherson said the awarding of the contract to an international firm is a disturbing pattern for B.C. Ferries in the past few years. “I question what they’re going to do in the future if they keep going this way, because there won’t be an industry here to respond to their needs,” he said.

The new vessel will operate between Port Hardy and Prince Rupert along the Inside Passage, the same route where the ?Queen of the North? sank. While service has been cut in half because of the accident, Hahn said they’ll have another vessel ready for next spring no matter what happens. “We’re in very, very final stages of looking to acquire a vessel, the 9,925 GT Spanish owned ?Sonia X?.” This two-year-old vessel has been sailing between Trinidad and Tobago until last spring. “But there is one last condition that has to be removed,” Mr. Hahn added, saying they hope to confirm the sale in the next week to 10 days. If that agreement fails, BCF also has a plan to lease another ship that would be ready for early next year. Both ships would need renovations before they could be used on the route.