High-Speed Catamaran Ferry Planned Between Vancouver And Victoria

A target startup date of June 1 has been announced along with plans for a high-speed passenger catamaran service between Vancouver and British Columbia's capital, Victoria, on Vancouver Island.

Vancouver Island Ferry Corporation (VIFC), a newly formed company, says it hopes to attract 10 percent of the 5.8 million passengers who use government-owned B.C. Ferry Corporation services between Vancouver and Victoria.

Four round-trips daily at twice the speed of B.C. Ferries would be offered by the proposed service.

Bob Ward, spokesman for VIFC, said he believed the time was right for a 300-capacity passenger-only ferry, and that VIFC was negotiating in Norway to buy two used catamarans which have been little used.

The startup cost was $10.4 million, he said, and the company was backed by private individuals in the Victoria area and Eastern Canadian shipping companies.

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