Shipyard selected to construct new major vessels

A rendering of what the propose new major vessels will look like when they start service in 2029. BC Ferries graphic

Sounder News
BC Ferries announced last week that the company has selected China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards (CMI Weihai) to build four New Major Vessels (NMVs).
The company says this follows a rigorous global procurement process that included a public Request for Proposals, comprehensive bid evaluations, international site visits, and independent third-party reference checks.
“CMI Weihai is a global leader in passenger ferry construction, and shipbuilding more broadly,” said Nicolas Jimenez, CEO of BC Ferries. “It was the clear choice based on the overall strength of its bid, including its technical capabilities, high-quality and safety standards, ferry-building experience, proven ability to deliver safe, reliable vessels on dependable timelines, and the overall cost and value it delivers for our customers – all essential as we continue to experience growing demand and the urgent need to renew our aging fleet.”
Mike Farnworth, BC Minister of Transportation and Transit said, “I’ve shared my concerns with BC Ferries that a Chinese company was awarded the contract, given that country’s harmful tariffs against Canadian goods. The reality is, we need these four new vessels to improve BC Ferries’ reliability and support people traveling in our coastal communities. People are going to benefit from these ships, and building in other countries would have cost BC Ferries up to $1.2 billion more.
“Though I’m disappointed more involvement from Canadian shipyards was not part of the contract, I understand that Canadian shipyards didn’t bid because they are currently busy with federal government contracts. I understand that all repairs and maintenance on these ships will be done in B.C. yards, which will invest more than $1 billion into B.C. jobs over their lifetime.””
Ed Hooper, BC Ferries’ Head of Fleet Renewal said, “BC Ferries will have our own professional team of shipbuilding experts onsite at the shipyard throughout construction to provide ongoing oversight and quality assurance.
“Our team inspected the CMI Weihai shipyard as part of the selection process, and the scale and scope of the operations was impressive. Safety is our highest value, and our in-person evaluations focused on safety management, quality systems, engineering capability, materials storage and handling, production facilities, environmental protection, and even the dedicated space for our on-site team, among other factors. We are confident that CMI Weihai will be able to meet our high expectations for safety and quality, while delivering tremendous value for our customers and on-time delivery of the four vessels.”
In their first 10 years of service, BC Ferries anticipates investing over $230 million locally on refits and scheduled maintenance for the four currently approved NMVs, and more than $1 billion over their expected 45-year lifespans.
This doesn’t include ongoing maintenance and refits for the rest of the fleet, which will continue to generate economic benefits for BC’s shipbuilding and maritime sectors. In addition to this reinvestment, the NMVs are expected to generate approximately 17,200 job-years of employment, $1.2 billion in wages, and contribute $2.2 billion to B.C.’s GDP over their service lifetime.
Dave Hargreaves, Senior Vice President, Strategy, Business Development and Communications said, “Seaspan is currently building and delivering ships for the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard at our North Vancouver shipyard, which are among the largest and most capable ships ever built in Canada. As such, we have built a world-class shipyard, shipbuilding workforce, and a BC and Canadian supply chain for large, complex shipbuilding. We look forward to exploring how this capability can be leveraged to build future BC ferries here at home, and therefore generate the strategic industrial and significant socio-economic benefits associated with capital projects of this nature for British Columbians. We acknowledge the need for BC Ferries to get some of these replacement vessels very fast given their aging fleet. We are hopeful that the BC Government will work with our BC industry team to develop a strategy to build some of the 7 vessels, particularly the last 2, in BC in the future.”
The NMVs will replace four aging ships nearing the end of their service lives, each increasingly prone to mechanical issues and service disruptions. The NMVs are a cornerstone of BC Ferries’ long-term fleet renewal strategy, addressing the urgent need to modernize aging vessels and infrastructure, accommodate expected demand growth, and enhance overall system resilience. Since 2016, BC Ferries has added 10 new vessels to its fleet, including four mid-size Salish Class vessels and six smaller Island Class ships. With four more Island Class vessels arriving in 2026, and all four NMVs expected to be in service between 2029-2031, BC Ferries remains on track to introduce 18 new vessels in just 15 years. Built with diesel-battery hybrid propulsion systems and designed with the capability to operate on full electric power in future, the NMVs are expected to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve fuel efficiency, and lower underwater radiated noise to better protect marine life. With greater capacity than the vessels they replace, the NMVs will offer more space for vehicles and passengers and upgraded amenities, supporting a more reliable and comfortable travel experience.
BC Ferries says disclosing the total construction cost could compromise BC Ferries’ ability to secure the best value on future vessel procurements, but adds the fixed-price contract to build these NMVs is within the approval limits provided by the BC Ferries Commissioner.