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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Sept 24, 2022 1:12:23 GMT -8
Salish Heron will become a route 5 vessel starting on October 11.
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alex912
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Post by alex912 on Sept 25, 2022 18:52:16 GMT -8
Salish Heron will become a route 5 vessel starting on October 11. Kinda weird that there’s no service notice about it though
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Sept 25, 2022 20:10:54 GMT -8
Salish Heron will become a route 5 vessel starting on October 11. Kinda weird that there’s no service notice about it though No need for a service notice. She's replacing the ' Cumberland, which I guess is going in for refit. No negative impact on capacity. Later on in the winter, it'll be the ' Cumberland and the ' Raven... first time in decades that both route five vessels will have food service, if they keep both open.
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Sept 25, 2022 21:53:52 GMT -8
Kinda weird that there’s no service notice about it though No need for a service notice. She's replacing the ' Cumberland, which I guess is going in for refit. No negative impact on capacity. Later on in the winter, it'll be the ' Cumberland and the ' Raven... first time in decades that both route five vessels will have food service, if they keep both open. I also kinda shocked because Queen of Cumberland is going to Bowen Island and has different setup for car deck compared to her sister Queen of Capilano.
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Oct 17, 2022 16:33:11 GMT -8
I took a trip on Salish Heron on route 5 from Mayne Island to Swartz Bay. Here are my through of a Salish Heron on route 5 there is a lot of crew on board which hopefully this works out for BC Ferries, cafeteria was servicing the full Salish Class menu which is nice to have on route 5, vessels capacity seems like it will used which is good to see.
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Post by ferryfollower on Nov 5, 2022 17:05:20 GMT -8
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Post by explorer on Nov 6, 2022 9:02:25 GMT -8
I was there on Thursday and counted about ~92 Vehicles of which 6 were Commercial Vehicles. Maybe one or two were dump trucks. Sorry correction, I was there the previous Thursday, not the one in question. Transporting excavators with low beds seems to be a real issue with main deck humps to contend with and bottoming out.
"B.C. Ferries is in touch with the southern Gulf Islands ferry advisory committee about the issue, and is considering swapping the ferry with another vessel better able to handle high volumes of commercial traffic, she said.
In the meantime, “B.C. Ferries will be actively managing the loading of heavy vehicles to ensure the least impact to customers,” she said.
The Salish Heron was the final Salish-class vessel built in Gdansk, Poland, for B.C. Ferries. When it arrived in B.C. this year, it weighed more than its sister ships due to the impact of various change orders requested through the build process, Chang said."
Can anyone speculate on what Vessel would be a suitable change out for the Salish Heron? The options must be limited.
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WettCoast
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Post by WettCoast on Nov 6, 2022 9:08:18 GMT -8
Can anyone speculate on what Vessel would be a suitable change out for the Salish Heron? The options must be limited. Malaspina (Island) Sky, maybe ...
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Post by ferryfollower on Nov 6, 2022 9:56:22 GMT -8
I was there on Thursday and counted about ~92 Vehicles of which 6 were Commercial Vehicles. Maybe one or two were dump trucks. Transporting excavators with low beds seems to be a real issue with main deck humps to contend with and bottoming out. "B.C. Ferries is in touch with the southern Gulf Islands ferry advisory committee about the issue, and is considering swapping the ferry with another vessel better able to handle high volumes of commercial traffic, she said.
In the meantime, “B.C. Ferries will be actively managing the loading of heavy vehicles to ensure the least impact to customers,” she said.
The Salish Heron was the final Salish-class vessel built in Gdansk, Poland, for B.C. Ferries. When it arrived in B.C. this year, it weighed more than its sister ships due to the impact of various change orders requested through the build process, Chang said."
Can anyone speculate on what Vessel would be a suitable change out for the Salish Heron? The options must be limited. My understanding from the Pender folks aboard were 6 dump trucks and about 30 cars were loaded at 2:20, about 50 cars left behind, pics from that sailing that were posted on Facebook:
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Nov 6, 2022 11:43:05 GMT -8
Can anyone speculate on what Vessel would be a suitable change out for the Salish Heron? The options must be limited. Malaspina (Island) Sky, maybe ... If the posted news story is accurate, any of the ' Heron's three sisters would have more weight capacity. They have the ' Raven currently sitting at Tsawwassen.
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WettCoast
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Post by WettCoast on Nov 6, 2022 13:54:58 GMT -8
Malaspina (Island) Sky, maybe ... If the posted news story is accurate, any of the ' Heron's three sisters would have more weight capacity. They have the ' Raven currently sitting at Tsawwassen. I have to admit that i am scratching my head as to how a spanking new ferry is overloaded (by weight) with six dump trucks on board and more than half the available car deck space left unused. Something does not compute. There has to be something more to this story ...
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Nov 6, 2022 18:27:47 GMT -8
If the posted news story is accurate, any of the ' Heron's three sisters would have more weight capacity. They have the ' Raven currently sitting at Tsawwassen. I have to admit that i am scratching my head as to how a spanking new ferry is overloaded (by weight) with six dump trucks on board and more than half the available car deck space left unused. Something does not compute. There has to be something more to this story ... It does seem odd. The ' Heron is filling in for the ' Cumberland, getting the busier sailings, so maybe the garage deck was full. If the six dump trucks were loaded with aggregate... that would explain something. When I took the ' Heron a couple of weeks ago on route nine, she was full on both car decks, but route nine is pretty light for commercial traffic. The whole aim of a more homogeneous fleet is interchangeability... doesn't seem like that's working so well here.
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WettCoast
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Post by WettCoast on Nov 6, 2022 19:44:18 GMT -8
The whole aim of a more homogeneous fleet is interchangeability... doesn't seem like that's working so well here. Its my impression that for each advantage claimed there is an off-setting disadvantage, as has been noted by you (among others) in running over-built vessels on a sheltered run like Nanaimo - Gabriola.
I am assuming the photos displayed above by ferryfollower were taken on the 'infamous' dump truck sailing. They show the garage deck completely empty and the main deck maybe 60% full. I wonder if the issue is more one of weight distribution than actual total payload weight?
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Nov 10, 2022 10:33:39 GMT -8
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WettCoast
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Post by WettCoast on Nov 10, 2022 17:17:45 GMT -8
So, if the T-C report is accurate the Heron is 48 tonnes heavier than its older sisters, about the weight of one loaded tandem dump truck. So if they swap one of the older sisters into Swartz Bay they will max out on weight with seven instead of six loaded dump trucks ... How much heavy commercial traffic moves on other routes where these vessels serve, or might serve? I am thinking about Earls Cove - Saltery Bay, for example. Am I missing something?
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Post by Dane on Nov 19, 2022 19:23:58 GMT -8
Finally got on the Heron for the first time today. WOW it's so different than the three other Salish class boats, you can really see that 48 extras tons.
Joking.
The doors on the main passenger deck to exit to the exterior are clearly just as unreliable as a previous version. One was fully out of service, and the other three were not working as intended. You just pushed a bar to get out, which was good enough by me!
I was on the Queen of Esquimalt's last sailing which actually briefly broke down before departure. In that time the Coastal Renaissance pulled up next to us, and keep in mind at this point that boat is literally a few days old. I was in awe how much larger it was the Esquimalt.
Just now I am getting off the Mayne Queen and we landed next to the Heron, which was departing. Not that the Salish class are new at this point, but it was reminiscent of that same feeling, where although in this case it is an indirect replacement, it's still a pretty big leap in magnitude of boat size.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Nov 19, 2022 21:18:50 GMT -8
Finally got on the Heron for the first time today. WOW it's so different than the three other Salish class boats, you can really see that 48 extras tons. Joking. The doors on the main passenger deck to exit to the exterior are clearly just as unreliable as a previous version. One was fully out of service, and the other three were not working as intended. You just pushed a bar to get out, which was good enough by me! I was on the Queen of Esquimalt's last sailing which actually briefly broke down before departure. In that time the Coastal Renaissance pulled up next to us, and keep in mind at this point that boat is literally a few days old. I was in awe how much larger it was the Esquimalt. Just now I am getting off the Mayne Queen and we landed next to the Heron, which was departing. Not that the Salish class are new at this point, but it was reminiscent of that same feeling, where although in this case it is an indirect replacement, it's still a pretty big leap in magnitude of boat size. And, Dane, time will tell if BC Ferries can regularly use the garage deck on the ' Heron, given the route five schedule. I hope they can. If not, they'll be spending a fortune on its crewing and size to carry fifteen or so more cars. And one more stipulation... no aggregate loaded dump trucks!
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Nov 20, 2022 15:23:53 GMT -8
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Nov 20, 2022 18:48:33 GMT -8
Ah, yes, the importance of perspective over knee jerk commentary. Great article, Blue Bus Fan... thanks for posting that. I didn't realize that the weight of a truck loaded with aggregate could be 60 tonnes. Yes, I know there's a slight difference between tonnes and tons, but the weight of your average passenger vehicle is two tons. So the Salish Heron sailing that left with presumably six loaded trucks was carrying roughly the equivalent of 180 cars. Still not quite clear though on how those trucks arrived all at the same time... and bumped everyone else. The article pointed out how much growth and construction there has been on the southern Gulf Islands, resulting in a lot more heavy construction loads on the ferries. Transport Canada seems to have eased the weight problem for BC Ferries, but I wonder if all the islanders will welcome that, along with a much bigger vessel, possibly just facilitating further growth.
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Jan 31, 2023 22:38:13 GMT -8
Salish Heron will be operating on route 9a when it begins.
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Post by Ferryman on Feb 1, 2023 10:05:32 GMT -8
As of today, the Salish Heron has taken over on Route 5a to free up the Cumberland to replace the Malaspina Sky on Route 7.
Quite the upgrade in capacity!
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alex912
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Post by alex912 on Feb 1, 2023 13:54:11 GMT -8
As of today, the Salish Heron has taken over on Route 5a to free up the Cumberland to replace the Malaspina Sky on Route 7. Quite the upgrade in capacity! Also interesting to see the SGI’s get serviced solely by the Salish class
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Post by Blue Bus Fan on Mar 1, 2023 11:47:52 GMT -8
Salish Heron will be servicing route 9a in summer.
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Post by explorer on Mar 27, 2023 10:52:44 GMT -8
The influence from Saturna Island is simply amazing - 265 Full Time Residents and a Vessel capable of 138 AEQ. Now that's power! Is the Damen Road Ferry 9819 E3 suitable for Route 5 and cures the headaches incurred by the Commissioning of the Salish Heron? If you look at Part 5 Submission from 2019 you'll see in the selection process that the intent was only to use the main deck on the Salish Heron ~ 80 vehicles under most circumstances. Damen constructed - the "Wolfe Islander IV" for the Ontario Highway System - capable of all electric, currently operating as a hybrid and about to enter service after a 2 year delay. Whilst waiting for the New - Kingston (ON) Harbour facility to be partially completed, onshore quick charge of 10 min facility is pending. Damen_Road_Ferry_9819_E3.pdf (629.85 KB) 80 AEQ (Vehicles)
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Mar 27, 2023 15:49:34 GMT -8
The influence from Saturna Island is simply amazing - 265 Full Time Residents and a Vessel capable of 138 AEQ. Now that's power! Is the Damen Road Ferry 9819 E3 suitable for Route 5 and cures the headaches incurred by the Commissioning of the Salish Heron? If you look at Part 5 Submission from 2019 you'll see in the selection process that the intent was only to use the main deck on the Salish Heron ~ 80 vehicles under most circumstances. Damen constructed - the "Wolfe Islander IV" for the Ontario Highway System - capable of all electric, currently operating as a hybrid and about to enter service after a 2 year delay. Whilst waiting for the New - Kingston (ON) Harbour facility to be partially completed, onshore quick charge of 10 min facility is pending. View Attachment 80 AEQ (Vehicles) Shaw Island in the San Juans has a population of 240, but because it's on a route that also serves other islands, it has vessels with 144 AEQ stopping there. Saturna only gets four ferries a day. Not sure what your point is.
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