A BC Ferries project involving four new Island Class vessels has reached big milestones.

According to the ferry-line, the vessels under construction at Damen Shipyards in Romania will expand capacity, improve reliability, and bring more environmental benefits to some of their busiest inter-Island routes.

The vessels would be used for the Nanaimo Harbour to Gabriola Island and Campbell River to Quadra Island routes.

Currently six other Island class vessels are in service, with the new vessels bringing that number up to 10 in total.

BC Ferries says on May 22, the seventh vessel entered the water for the first time, as it was launched on the Danube River in Galati, Romania.

“This milestone signifies that the vessel’s hull is structurally complete and watertight, marking a major step toward final outfitting, testing, and delivery,” said BC Ferries.

“The launch was commemorated with an official ceremony attended by representatives from Damen and BC Ferries’ on-site team, as well as BC Ferries’ Executive Director of Shipbuilding Ed Hooper and Island Class Program Manager David Tolman.”

They say on May 23, construction officially started on the tenth vessel, while the ninth vessel had a keel-laying ceremony where a Canadian coin was welded to the ship’s central frame. The coin is meant to represent good fortune for the vessel.

Executive Director of Shipbuilding Ed Hooper says these milestones mark important progress in their fleet renewal plans.

“Each step brings us closer to delivering more capacity, improved reliability, and a transition to electric energy for ferry service in British Columbia,” said Hooper.

As part of this project, the ferry-line is working to electrify the Nanaimo Harbour, Gabriola Island, Campbell River, and Quadra Island terminals by 2027. They hope by doing this, it helps in running the battery-powered vessels.

They expect the first two vessels to launch in the spring of 2026, with the last two to launch by fall that year.