‘Hullo’ to new passenger fast-ferry service between Nanaimo and Vancouver

An official event on Wednesday, April 19 event at the Nanaimo Port Authority will officially debut the new look, as well as commence some construction work on site.

Creation of a guest welcome centre and a 400-stall parking lot will be part of a physical footprint for ‘Hullo’ and VIFC in Nanaimo.

Two brand new ships are undergoing sea trials in Vietnam before making the trek to Nanaimo and debuting as part of the new ‘Hullo’ service to the Lower Mainland. (Vancouver Island Ferry Company)

The boats, which are being completed at the Damen shipyard in Vietnam, are painted in the updated colours of “Salish Green” with white and orange accents.

Caddick, speaking to NanaimoNewsNOW from Vietnam, said several operations staff are on site to go over final checks before the ships make a cross-Pacific trek to Vancouver Island.

“The vessels are now in the water, they’ve been launched. We’re doing safety trials, sea trials, in essence making sure these vessels will be able to deliver…the safe and beautiful experience we want to provide to customers.”

He expects the boats to sail into Vancouver Island waters in late June before final preparations, training and safety checks.

Each will be able to carry 354 passengers in three seating classes: comfort, premium and business. Vessels will also be equipped with Wi-Fi and a small selection of food and drinks.

‘Hullo’ is planning to make up to seven round trips daily while updates on schedules and fare pricing are yet to be announced.

The trip between Nanaimo and Vancouver is projected to take roughly 70 minutes and will include some late night sailings to accommodate sporting events or shows.

Sea trials are underway in Vietnam to ensure the vessels are up for Salish Sea waters. (Vancouver Island Ferry Company)

Finding people to run the boats is seen as the next big challenge for VIFC.

BC Ferries has struggled for crew numbers over recent years resulting in sailing delays and cancellations at times, however Caddick said ‘Hullo’ is run using smaller boats which require fewer crew as mandated by Transport Canada.

“We’ll be posting on our website near the end of this week…for the marine crews. Mates, deckhands and all those very important positions, so there will be a big recruiting push over the next four to eight weeks.”

Job postings and more information will be available on the VIFC website.

Among the hires already made is Wendy Williams, VIFC’s director of operations. Williams is the first Canadian woman to captain a mega cruise ship for a major company and will be a central figure in the service’s growth.

“We take pride in trying to set a new standard for ferry travel in British Columbia and our growing team remains relentlessly committed to creating a safe, efficient, and reliable service for our communities,” Williams said in a statement.

Return of fast ferry service was first announced in September 2021 through capital funding from Conqora Capital Partners and partnerships with the Port Authority and Snuneymuxw First Nation.

The announcement was met with a large amount of skepticism by locals weary of broken fast-ferry promises.

An in-person event in November 2022 to launch VIFC as a company was followed by news in January 2023 on the company building its ships and beginning a hiring process, steps which many previous iterations never got to.

Information on the service is also available on the new ‘Hullo’ website.

Both boats are adorned with the updated Hullo branding, unveiled by VIFC on Wednesday, April 19. (Vancouver Island Ferry Company)

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

info@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @NanaimoNewsNOW

by Alex Rawnsley

‘Hullo’ to new passenger fast-ferry service between Nanaimo and Vancouver

More Local News