Spirit of Vancouver Island and the Spirit of British Columbia to be converted to run on LNG fuel
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Poland-based Remontowa Ship Repair Yard has won a CAD$140 million contract to complete mid-life upgrades and dual-fuel conversions of its largest vessels, Spirit of Vancouver Island and the Spirit of British Columbia.
Beating Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards in Canada and Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri in the tender process, Remontowa is the largest ship repair yard in Poland and one of the biggest in Europe. Annually, it completes 200 ship projects and has experience of working on large-scale conversions and LNG-fuelled vessels.
Following the conversions, Spirit of Vancouver Island and the Spirit of British Columbia will be able to run on LNG fuel, saving costs and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 12,000 tonnes annually – the equivalent of taking around 2,500 vehicles off the road per year.
“Last financial year, we spent approximately CAD$118 million on diesel fuel of which the two Spirit Class vessels consumed approximately 16%,” said Mark Wilson, BCF’s vice president of engineering. “The conversion of the two largest ships in the fleet, along with the three new dual-fuel Salish-Class vessels currently under construction, will go a long way to help with fare affordability for our customers as LNG costs significantly less than marine diesel.”
To partially offset the capital cost of converting the vessels, BCF will receive up to CAD$10 million from FortisBC Energy as part of the Natural Gas for Transportation incentive.
To ensure the vessels can remain operational for another 25 years, Remontowa will upgrade various safety systems, including the marine evacuation systems, rescue boats, fire detection system, the public address system, and a local water mist fire protection system. Navigation and propulsion equipment – such as rudders, the steering system, bow thrusters and propeller blades – will also be renewed.
Passenger areas will also be fitted with new carpets and LED lighting, while the gift shop will be expanded, a new washroom will be added to Deck 5, and a coffee bar will be installed on Deck 6. Upgrades to the passenger elevators will include new mechanical and electrical drive components and an emergency communication system.
Built in 1993, Spirit of British Columbia, will be the first to undergo upgrades and conversion between autumn 2017 and spring 2018. The Spirit of Vancouver Island, built in 1994, will be drydocked between autumn 2018 and spring 2019. This will ensure the vessels remain operational on the routes between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay during the peak summer months.