BC Ferries Century Class

The Century class contains a single vessel owned and operated by BC Ferries. It was constructed in 1997 by Allied Shipbuilders in North Vancouver, BC.

The Century class program was originally envisioned to have three vessels that could accommodate approximately 100 vehicles. They would operate on short-distance commuter runs (less than 30 minutes) where car passengers would be expected to remain in their vehicles; as such, passenger facilities are limited to small rooms on the sides of the vehicle deck. Budget issues and possibly performance concerns eventually led to only one vessel, Skeena Queen, being constructed. The purpose other two vessels where planned to operate on:

• Horseshoe Bay - Snug Cove
• Campbell River - Quadra Island

Skeena Queen

Skeena Queen
Built	1997, Vancouver
IMO number	9137090
Home base	Fulford Harbour
Route(s) served	4

Skeena Queen is the only vessel in the Century class.

Upon entering service, Skeena Queen was assigned to route 4 (Swartz Bay - Fulford Harbour), which has been its primary route ever since. It replaced Bowen Queen and allowed for the retirement of Vesuvius Queen.

Skeena Queen initially had severe reliability issues with its engines - one was replaced in 1999, and all four had to be replaced in 2000. After more engine failures by 2002, the original Mitsubishi S12R engines were replaced by lower-speed S6U engines, which has mostly resolved vibration and reliability issues.

October 2019 through March 2020 she received an in house mid-life upgrade with air conditioning add to lounges and washroom expand. BC Ferries move rescue boat to car deck for crew safety during launching of boat.

Engines	Max speed	Length	Displacement	Vehicle capacity	Passenger capacity
Four Mitsubishi S6U 6,000 hp	15.3 knots	110 m	2,942 tonnes	92 autos	450