BCF gets ship to replace sunken QON

[tyty]

B.C. Ferries gets its ship
WORST-KEPT SECRET: Company won't confirm it's bought 'Sonia'

By Ian Bailey,
The Province

B.C. Ferries appears to have found a replacement for the sunken Queen of the North -- the M.V. Sonia, a two-year-old ferry that sailed between Trinidad and Tobago until this spring.

While the company declined to comment on the purchase yesterday, CEO David Hahn has referred recently to his new "European" ferry as the "worst-kept secret on the coast."

The Sonia is managed by TTT Tomasos Transport & Tourism, part of Italy's Tomasos Group, which has posted word of the sale on its website. The sale price is not listed.

A Swedish shipping database also lists the Sonia as "sold to B.C. Ferries Canada" for "delivery in the autumn." It says the ferry was renamed Sonia X this month.

Hahn has said publicly that the new ferry is just years old and that delivery is expected in September.

"It's got capacity for vehicles, it's got great capacity for passengers, it's got great speed," he said.

The 117-metre Sonia, built in 2004, carries 1,200 passengers and crew and 220 vehicles and has a speed of 22 knots. It has more cabins than the Queen of Prince Rupert now serving the north.

It also has two stern doors but not a bow door, unlike most "roll on, roll off" ferries in the provincial fleet.

Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall would only say yesterday that sale talks are "ongoing."

Current time-charter arrangements for the ferry are believed to be delaying the final sale. More than a dozen Ferries personnel, including engineers from the North, are believed to be working on the Sonia now in Europe, where it was moved this spring. Marshall did not comment on either of those matters.

Word of the new ferry has been eagerly anticipated along the coast, whose residents and tourist operators suffered massive service losses and disruptions when the Queen of the North sank March 22.

Port Hardy Mayor Hank Bood, whose town would serve as one end of the Sonia's Hardy-Prince Rupert run, told The Province his sources have confirmed the Sonia is vessel being purchased.

"It was critical B.C. Ferries find something to the standard of the Queen of the North -- and it's my understanding that's going to be the case," Bood said.

Capt. David Badior, president of the ships' officers component of the B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers Union, said the union is also interested in a resolution so they can begin determining how to train crew for the new vessel.

It is unclear how much work must be done to have the ferry meet both Canadian standards and the physical requirements of B.C.'s docks.

George MacPherson, president of the Shipyard General Workers Federation, said his union wants the refit work -- rumoured to be worth between $10 and $30 million -- done in B.C.

-- with a file from Staff Reporter Christina Montgomery

[Retrovision]

tyty said:

B.C. Ferries gets its ship
WORST-KEPT SECRET: Company won't confirm it's bought 'Sonia'

By Ian Bailey,
The Province

B.C. Ferries appears to have found a replacement for the sunken Queen of the North -- the M.V. Sonia, a two-year-old ferry that sailed between Trinidad and Tobago until this spring.

While the company declined to comment on the purchase yesterday, CEO David Hahn has referred recently to his new "European" ferry as the "worst-kept secret on the coast."

Thank you! This fact is part of the motivation behind the comments that I've made on the matter recently.

[hergfest]

I think the Sonia is a fine looking ship. I am concerned about her fitting into the current docks, but she is the best sized vessel on BC Ferries apparant short list. Plus she does 22 knots which means she can do the Inside Passage in one day. And they have loaded/unloaded via the stern in Port Hardy and QCI before.

[Retrovision]

hergfest said:

...And they have loaded/unloaded via the stern in Port Hardy and QCI before.

I doubt that any Ro/Ro ferry terminal in BC has ever dealt with that wide of a stern before, though.

[Doug]

I think how this works is that they drive vehicles onto the stern and then turn them around at the bow in the other half of the ship. The only good thing about this is that they can load and unload at the same time.

[Political Incorrectness]

Not necessarily, if it is a full load, you cannot load and unload at the same time, otherwise, it just makes the process much more confusing.

[WettCoast]

Theoretically you could load and unload at the same time if the berthing facility could accommodate such. The point is that they don't have such facilities. And on North Coast routes quick turn-arounds are not important like they are on the pond crossing routes on the South Coast.

[Retrovision]

In any case, the question still remains:

How will the Sonia and existing infrastructure be made compatible?

...Can adding a bow door resolve most issues?

[hergfest]

No, because the stern will still be too wide. They almost have to built another dock at Port Hardy to fit her.

[Ferryman]

I have a feeling, they'll have to build another dock beside the existing docks, for this to work properly. The Queen of Prince Rupert will be around for a few more years yet, and she'll still need the regular type of docks. Same with the Queen of Chilliwack, when she goes to Port Hardy. So everything can't all be changed around for this one ferry, with its special, extra large rear end. But assuming by with what the rumours of it being in service by next spring (estimation of about 6 months from September), would that be enough time for there to be at least 2 new docks built, at Prince Rupert and Port Hardy?

I can't picture that monster sitting at Bear Cove....

[WettCoast]

Building new docks in at least four North Coast locations plus one or two down south as well [Tsawwassen, Deas Mtnc yards] will not be cheep. As it sits right now there is no BCF facility anywhere on the coast that can accommodate this ship.

Alternatively fitting the ship with a bow door that will satisfy regulatory requirements for 2010 and beyond will also be expensive. This would likely be the bean-counters choice as being most cost-effective.

Another alternative add a tapered piece on the stern to permit stern loading in existing facilities. As such the ship would be lengthened by 15 or 20 metres. Not cheap.

Then there are other modifications such as adding windows so passengers could actually see the Inside Passage scenery. That is the reason that most people take this trip in the first place.

[Political Incorrectness]

Really, I would wait until off season to do modifications. She will need more cabins. Either way, something gives, you put one ton of dough into the vessel or you do it to 4 terminals. I would rather just do it to the vessel and be happy, it is possible to put in bow doors, you can have a pair of bow doors and a ramp that comes down to connect to the berth which I believe would meet TC requirements.

[Retrovision]

cascade said:

...
What about the two "New" replacements - been funded by the Province
...

Did I read correctly, cascade?

I would speculate that, as with similar facts that aren't exactly advertised by our provincial government to say the least, the majority of members on this forum likely do not realize this.


...I seem to remember a promise of 3 new-build Northern Vessels (Am I wrong?), and nothing said to-the-contrary since. Although I won't speculate as to whether or not any voters of BC might have voted differenty in the last provincial election if they had known this promise to be a lie; I try not to speculate about such un-answerable questions.

[Curtis]

They had Better Stick to three Northern Vessels because I get the feeling the Sonia is just for the time they need to build these Vessels

[Ferryman]

I believe they decided to build 2 brand new Northern Vessels, and use some of the money from that amount given from the Government to purchase and refit the Sonia, due to her very young age still. So she'll be with us for a while, and we'll just have to live with it. It wouldn't really be too economical to purchase a nearly new European Ferry, to spend millions on to meet TC standards, and fit in BCFs docks, for it to be a part of the fleet for only 2 or 3 years.

[Scott (Former Account)]

I can confirm that BCFS is currently discussing plans with Aker Finnyard and Flensburger to build TWO vessles...

[Curtis]

Son of a Diddly!<--Ned Flanders: The Simpsons

It can't be BC Ferries without a foreign ship in the fleet. Hopefully the Sonia won't be as odd as the Queen of Chilliwack

[Koastal Karl]

Chilliwack is unique in her own way and the Sonia will probably be too. It will be neat to see her up here in BC Ferries colors and I wonder what her new name will be??

[hergfest]

If Flensburger builds the new northern vessels I doubt they would have a bow door. Flensburger says they are making "ro-ro" boats but the last two "ro-ros" they have built don't have bow doors, which means stern load/unload only. Please correct me if I am wrong. And can Flensburger build the boats in the two years required? Isn't that why WMG backed out?

[tyty]

WMG backed out because they have so many other projects they're committed to that they wouldn't be able to deliver within two years.

Of course, if Flensburger isn't so busy, then it is quite possible they could have the ships built within the required two year time frame...

[Koastal Karl]

One question I have is if they modify the docks to to fit the Sonia will be the Queen of Prince Rupert and Chilliwack still be able to use them??? Cause in this case we will have three different class of ships using these docks. Or will there be special docks for the Sonia. Cause could the Rupert use the docks in Europe that the Sonia has used?? If you see what I am getting at. I dont know if they could modify the ship as she is wider so it might be the docks they will have to modify.

[Ferryman]

That's what I was talking about, 6 posts before this one. So there will probably be another dock beside the existing docks, because the Chilliwack and Prince Rupert will probably be around until 2010. That's my assumption....

[Koastal Karl]

ah right, dident see that post, lol!

[tyty]

If I had to put money on what will happen - terminal or ship modification - I'd put it on ship modification.

As we all agree, the Sonia will have to work with, at the very least, Port Hardy, McLoughlin Bay, Prince Rupert, and Skidegate. To re-work all four of these docks would be a massive, expensive undertaking.

Plus, what happens to service while any one of the docks is being rebuilt? I don't know, to me this idea is quite unworkable.

BC Ferries has stretched and lifted ships many times in the past; therefore, I don't see a tapered stern for the Sonia to be such a crazy idea. No dock modifications would be required.

Now, I don't see a bow door being installed, but that's fine. BCF dealt with the QPR and QON using the stern door only for a few years, surely they can do it again.

[hergfest]

It also depends on if they outright bought the Sonia or if she is on a charter.