MV Queen of New Westminster is a Canadian roll-on/roll-off passenger ferry operated by BC Ferries. The ship was built at Victoria Machinery Depot in Victoria, British Columbia, with the vessel's keel being laid down on May 31, 1963, and launched on July 31, 1964. The ferry entered service in 1964. In 1973 Queen of New Westminster underwent the first major refit at Burrard Dry Dock of the ferry's career. The vessel underwent further refits in 1991 and in 2007 to 2009, the latter extending the ship's service life for a further fifteen years. Queen of New Westminster is the oldest ship in service with BC Ferries.

Design and description

The roll-on/roll-off ferries were continuations of the preceding design created by naval architect Philip F. Spaulding and his Canadian partner Arthur McLaren for BC Ferries. Queen of New Westminster is part of the third batch, and final ship, of the class. As built, the vessel was identical to the other members of class. The vessel underwent a refit in 1972 in which the ship was lengthened by adding an section amidships, giving the vessel a length overall of , a breadth of and a draught of . The ship measured and . The ferry was powered by twin Mirrless diesel engines creating . The ship had a maximum speed of and a crew of 55. The vessel had capacity for 1,250 passengers and 192 cars. The vessel has a single deck for vehicle stowage which is accessed by bow and stern doors. A second refit in 1991 saw the ship re-engined with four Wärtsilä 9R-32D diesel engines driving two controllable-pitch propellers creating . Queen of New Westminster had the car deck platform ramps removed and was raised to add a second car deck, which improved her vehicle capacity.

Queen of New Westminster was lengthened in 1972 at Burrard Dry Dock in North Vancouver. Upon return to service following the refit, the ferry operated on the route between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay. In 1991, the ship underwent another refit at Vancouver Shipyards. However, shortly after returning to service in August, the ferry returned to dry dock after significant vibrations from the ship were felt by both passengers and crew. The ferry operates on the route between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay. In September 2024, the vessel was pulled from service after losing a propeller and spilling of hydraulic oil when the propeller's shaft failed. Both shafts were replaced and the rudder was also fixed after more issues were discovered. The ferry returned to service in March 2025.

Citations

Sources

  • Queen of New Westminster Fan Page archive from February 2008