History | |
---|---|
Name | Queen of New Westminster |
Namesake | City of New Westminster |
Operator | BC Ferries |
Port of registry | Victoria |
Route | Tsawwassen ↔ Swartz Bay Tsawwassen ↔️ Duke Point |
Builder | Victoria Machinery Depot |
Cost | CA$3.6 million (1962)[1] |
Yard number | 105 |
Laid down | May 24, 1963 |
Launched | May 12, 1964 |
In service | August 4, 1964 |
Identification |
|
Status | In service |
General characteristics | |
Displacement | 6,122 tonnes |
Length | 130 m (426 ft 6 in) |
Installed power | 16,800hp |
Propulsion | Four Wärtsilä VASA 9R32 engines |
Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h) |
Capacity |
|
The MV Queen of New Westminster is a Canadian roll-on, roll-off passenger ferry operated by BC Ferries.[2]
In 1964, the vessel was built as one of seven Victoria class ferries. Like her sister ships, she was lengthened in 1973 at Burrard Dry Dock. After the ship damaged a crankshaft beyond repair, she was re-engined with four Wärtsilä engines, had the car deck platform ramps removed and was raised to add a second car deck at Vancouver Shipyards in 1991. After being raised for a second car deck, she would normally be considered a Victoria class ferry as she shares most of the characteristics of that class, but because of her improved powerplants and higher clearance car decks, she is unique. Her two former sister ships are the Burnaby class vessels Queen of Nanaimo and Queen of Burnaby, which are also not considered Victoria class vessels because they did not receive the additional car deck which created the final Victoria class ferries.
Though her four Victoria class sister ships were all scrapped by 2012, she had a major refit of her passenger areas between late 2007 and early 2009 to prepare her for another ten to fifteen years of service.