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BC Ferries' first liquefied natural gas-powered vessel, the Salish Orca, arrived at its new home in British Columbia, Canada, on 11th January.

The vessel reached British Canadian waters after a 50-day, 10,440-nautical-mile journey from Remontowa shipyard in Gdansk, Poland.

Once the Salish Orca clears Canadian customs and final inspections are complete, it will be officially handed over to BC Ferries. Over the next couple of months, the crew will be trained and familiarized in the operation of the ship. Then, after public open houses in Powell River and Comox, the Salish Orca is scheduled to start service on that route in the spring of 2017.

"This is a very exciting day for all of us at BC Ferries as we proudly welcome this beautiful ship, Salish Orca, home to British Columba and into our fleet," said Mike Corrigan, BC Ferries' President and CEO. "The Salish-class vessels will provide us cost savings and efficiencies with standardized vessels and greater interoperability as well as enhance safety well into the future. They are very well-built ships, which will serve our customers for many years to come."

The Salish Orca is the first of three new Salish-class vessels. It was christened during a naming ceremony in November 2015, with the vessel's name being chosen to honour the Coast Salish people and the Salish Sea where the ship is due to operate.

The two other ships - Salish Eagle and Salish Raven - are set to enter operations in the Southern Gulf Islands later this year. They are to replace ferries that are at the end of their life cycle.

All three Salish-class ships have been built as dual-fuel, capable of running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) or ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD).

Using natural gas as the primary fuel source, BC Ferries says it expects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 15 to 25 percent, sulphur oxides (SOx) by more than 85 percent, reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) by more than 50 percent, and nearly eliminate particulate matter.

The 107-metre Salish-class ships each have the capacity to carry 145 vehicles and up to 600 passengers and crew. The vessels feature two car decks and have a service speed of 15.5 knots. Each ship is powered by three Wartsila 8L20DF engines. The gross tonnage (grt) of each vessel is 8,728 tonnes.