British Columbia Ferry Services, Inc. (BC Ferries or BCF) recently awarded a contract to Remontowa S.A. of Gdansk, Poland to design and build three intermediate class ferries (ICF) with dual-fuel propulsion machinery, capable of operating on liquefied natural gas (LNG) or ultra low sulphur marine diesel oil (MDO). This is a watershed moment in the BCF fleet renewal plan as these vessels will be the first in the fleet that will operate with cleaner and lower-cost LNG fuel. The BCF class strategy covering its fleet of 35 vessels is intended eventually to reduce the number of classes from the current 17 to 5 classes as vessels are replaced in the next 25 years. Equally significant is the strategic decision to introduce LNG into the BCF fleet as an innovative measure that combines an environmental benefit with a significant commercial advantage.
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