Bureau Veritas classes Seaspan’s LNG ferry

Classification society Bureau Veritas classed the Seaspan’s new dual-fueled/hybrid (diesel, LNG and battery) ferry, the Seaspan Swift.

The new ferry is the first hybrid LNG fuelled and battery powered vessel in service and the first LNG fuelled vessel operating on the west coast of Canada, according to Bureau Veritas.

The vessel enters service between the British Columbia mainland and Vancouver Island.

Additionally, the on-board bunkering of LNG from a truck trailer is a first in North America.

Designed by VARD Marine, the 148.9-meter vessel is the first of two to be constructed at Sedef Shipbuilding, Turkey.

Following a 10,661 nautical mile delivery voyage to the Tilbury terminal in Delta, Vancouver, Seaspan Swift underwent pre-operation regulatory checks and crew training in December.

A sister vessel, Seaspan Reliant, also classed by Bureau Veritas, will arrive on the West Coast early in 2017.