Fast Ferry Scandal

The Fast Ferry Scandal, also referred to less-formally as the "FastCat Fiasco", was the name given to a political scandal in the Canadian province of British Columbia in the 1990s relating to the construction of a fleet of high speed ferry vessels.

High speed ferries

The provincial government at the time, led by New Democratic Party (NDP) premier Glen Clark, decided to use provincial Crown corporation BC Ferries to advance its economic goal of supporting British Columbia's shipbuilding industry by creating a fleet of custom-designed high-speed catamaran passenger/vehicle ferries for BC Ferries, with the eventual goal of exporting additional vessels on the international market. The vessels were to be built by local shipyards under the overview of a new provincial Crown corporation to be called "Catamaran Ferries International Inc." (CFI).

Public goals of the Fast Ferry Program

A major impetus for the program was in direct response to public complaints. Citizens wanted:

* Less waiting traffic at Horseshoe Bay terminal as backlogs often blocked access to the Sea-to-Sky Highway.
* Fewer vehicles clogging residential streets upon each arrival of the existing ferries
* An end to noisy truck traffic in the villages of Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay (the Horseshoe Bay terminal is at the bottom of a long, steep hill on which several fatal truck-related accidents have occurred)

In response to these main concerns, the program was to deliver more frequent service (travel time reduced by 30 minutes), with smaller-capacity ships (250 cars vs. 365). Trucks were to be banned from the terminals and moved to an alternate ferry route, and a 100% reservation system was to be implemented, eliminating the need for long queues.

Political goals of the Fast Ferry Program

Perhaps more important than the need for a more efficient ferry system was the NDP Government's desire to rebuild the shipbuilding industry of British Columbia. During the early 1900s, shipbuilding in British Columbia was at its greatest, in support of a booming fishing industry. During the Second World War, shipbuilding again peaked with the delivery of two 10,000-ton freighters every week. By the 1990s, however, shipbuilding in British Columbia was nearly dead due, in-part, to the ballooning cost of materials, labour disputes, and increasing competition from Asian shipyards.

Faced with the potential collapse of an institutional industry the New Democratic Party, a political party with a very strong pro-labour disposition, attempted a resuscitation by creating the Fast Ferry Program. BC Ferries had initially recommended that a comparable ferry be leased for trials in coastal waters, but the Government decided to forego testing and committed to the construction project regardless. The Government was attempting to emulate the success of Australian shipbuilders such as Incat in Tasmania and Austal Shipbuilding in the global fast ferry market.

PacifiCat fleet

The vessels built for BC Ferries were intended to improve ferry service between the mainland terminal of Horseshoe Bay (in West Vancouver) and the Vancouver Island terminal at Departure Bay (in Nanaimo).

The three vessels were built between when and were named as follows:
* "PacifiCat Explorer" (1998)
* "PacifiCat Discovery" (1999)
* "PacifiCat Voyager" (2000)

Technically, "PacifiCat Voyager" was never part of the BC Ferries fleet, as it was christened but never commissioned; by the time this vessel was ready for deployment, the bottom had already fallen out of the Fast Ferry Program.

The vessels had a service speed of 37 knots (68 km/h) and a capacity for 250 car-equivalents and 1000 passengers. The hulls of all three vessels had slightly varying murals that depict a cougar.

Due to various oversights by the government, BC Ferries, design bureaus, and the shipyards, the cost of the program more than doubled from $210 million ($70 million/vessel) to almost $460 million ($150 million/vessel) and final delivery was almost 3 years behind schedule. As with all prototype construction this cost and build time was gradually being reduced with each successive completion. A large part of the delay was because the shipyards commissioned to construct the vessels had very little experience working with aluminum. Also design changes during construction caused delays and more costs. Previously, construction of aluminum vessels in British Columbia had been limited to fishing boats and special-purpose vessels. The construction of three dual-hulled 122.5 m catamarans represented a very large leap of faith by the Government in British Columbia shipyards.

The ferries also had the following problems during their brief tenure:

* High fuel consumption. The four 8,375 brake horsepower (6.2 MW) engines driving their waterjets required an inordinate amount of diesel fuel and had to be used at 90% power for cruise speed, making them prone to breakdown. This was largely due to BC Ferries' insistence on using diesel engines rather than the more efficient gas turbines that were originally planned.
* Due to an unusually wet and windy winter, there was a higher than normal amount of flotsam in the waters along the route, some of which was sucked into impellers for the ferries' engines, causing breakdowns and sailing cancellations.
* When operated at full speed, the Pacificat fleet created a wake which was reported to have damaged waterfront wharves and property in coastal areas near the two terminals. This required that the ferries reduce speed in certain areas and alter course in others, reducing their speed advantage.
* The air on vehicle decks became uncomfortably warm, either from the heat of the vessel engines or lack of air circulation. This made some people wary of bringing pets aboard the FastCats; however, the ferries had kennels with improved air circulation at the bow and stern of the vehicle decks.
* There was little outside deck space for passengers. The existing ferries had large decks, and it was common for passengers to spend the entire sailing circling the decks of the ship or sunbathing on the lifejacket containers.
* The ships had a more modern, European-style interior which was perceived by passengers as being cramped compared to the existing ferries.
* Loading took longer than the older ferries due to balancing issues. This further negated the ships' speed advantage.

After a change in leadership, the new Premier of BC, Ujjal Dosanjh, placed the ferries up for sale. A subsequent election virtually eliminated the New Democratic Party from the legislature, and Gordon Campbell of the BC Liberals auctioned off the PacifiCat fleet on March 24, 2003 for $19.4 million ($6.5 million/vessel) to the Washington Marine Group. Further controversy erupted when it was revealed that the same company had offered $60 million for the vessels prior to the auction.

A future for the PacifiCats on the South Coast?

With the 2010 Winter Olympics to be hosted in Vancouver, some have speculated that the BC Government of the day may lease back the ferries from the new owners to shuttle commuters between downtown Vancouver, the Airport and Squamish (near Whistler, planned site of several sports).

In September 2005, the media reported that the Washington Marine Group had expressed interest in operating a fast ferry service from Downtown Vancouver to a point on Vancouver Island. When questioned, representatives of WMG indicated that they are actively searching for suitable applications for the Fast Ferries and they would not rule out such a service.

On Friday, December 16, 2005 WMG confirmed that it is considering putting the ferries into service from North Vancouver to Duke Point (near Nanaimo) to compete with the BC Ferries routes. WMG said they intend to make a decision by spring of 2006. [http://www.cbc.ca/bc/story/bc_fastcats20051216.html]

External links

* [http://www.bcferries.com BC Ferries]
* [http://www.geocities.com/ferries_bc/pacificats.html Pacificats - private webpage]