Damen Shipyards has launched the tenth Island Class ferry for BC Ferries during a ceremony at its yard in Galați, Romania, marking another important step in the Canadian operator’s fleet renewal program.
The vessel is the final ship in the current four-ferry order. Once delivered, it will join the six Island Class ferries already supplied by Damen, making the Island Class the largest vessel class in the BC Ferries fleet.
The Island Class ferries were designed to improve passenger comfort, reduce environmental impact, and significantly increase capacity on the routes they serve. According to the project details, the vessels provide a 71% increase in vehicle capacity and a 135% increase in passenger capacity, equivalent to roughly 200 additional vehicle spaces and 2,000 extra passenger spaces across the affected routes.
Damen has also recently reached several other milestones in the program. The eighth vessel began sea trials on February 23, 2026, while the seventh vessel, Island xwsa?ux?ul, departed for Canada on the same day.
The Island Class ferries are also a central part of BC Ferries’ fleet standardization strategy. By increasing the number of similar vessels in operation, the company aims to reduce operational complexity, simplify crew training, streamline spare parts inventories, and deploy vessels more efficiently where they are needed most.
The latest launch highlights the continued progress of the Island Class program and underlines BC Ferries’ long-term focus on capacity growth, operational efficiency, and more sustainable ferry services along Canada’s west coast.
