Replacement of Three Ferry Berths at Northern Terminals

BC Ferry Services Inc. (BC Ferries) provides transportation services for vehicles and passengers to communities along the western coast of the Province of British Columbia, Canada. The Northern Routes include a primary run from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert through the well-known Inside Passage and a second primary run from Prince Rupert to Skidegate on the Queen Charlotte Islands. There are also a number of minor routes that interconnect small and isolated communities. The Northern Routes ferry service is therefore a critical transportation system for north-western British Columbia. As the vessels used on BC Ferries' Northern Routes were aging and affected by regulatory issues, planning began in 2003 to outline options for future services. In 2006, the sinking and subsequent loss of the Queen of the North required urgent decision making and action to restore full service to the northern coast as soon as possible and accelerate the planned replacements of the ships and terminals. This paper discusses the challenges faced and creative solutions employed throughout the planning, detailed design, construction and commissioning stages for each of the phases of this unique terminal replacement project.