Nanaimo Daily News reports that once the summer ferry season is over, B.C. Ferries plans to finish upgrading the MV Quinsam. David Hahn, B.C. Ferries CEO and president, said the ferry to Gabriola Island has received a mechanical refit. "We have finished the first stage of a two-stage refit," Hahn said of Quinsam, which was built in 1982. "The next stage will be refitting the passenger accommodation area of the ferry."
Quinsam is among many smaller ships B.C. Ferries will refit in the foreseeable future.
"Once it is complete, I'd say it will be like we will have a brand new ferry on the Gabriola route," said Hahn.
In the same item, BC Ferries reveals that the economic slump could speed vessel replacement, as depressed steel prices may alter their fleet replacement plans. The economic downturn may have lowered the price of building new ships enough that B.C. Ferries Services Inc. may rethink its plan to refit a number of older vessels and instead replace them with newer ships.
The ferry corporation had planned to replace its aging fleet in several stages. "Over the next 15 years, we will replace 26 of our vessels with new, state-of-the-art ships that will bring an exceptional new level of service to our local and international customers travelling onboard B.C. Ferries," the corporation's website states.
Aboard Northern Expedition on Monday, Hahn said before his company embarks on Phase 2 of its renewal plan, it must consider changing economic conditions. "We've got to weigh whether it will be more beneficial for us to complete mid-life refits for a number of our vessels or build new ones," Hahn said. "It's something we will be discussing at future board meetings."
So maybe they won't finish Quinsam's upgrade after all?
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