SeaBus
Encyclopedia
The SeaBus is a passenger-only ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

 service in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It crosses Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet is a relatively shallow-sided coastal fjord in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Formed during the last Ice Age, it separates the City of Vancouver and the rest of the low-lying Burrard Peninsula from the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, home to the communities of West...

 to connect the cities of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

 and North Vancouver
North Vancouver, British Columbia (city)
The City of North Vancouver is a waterfront municipality on the north shore of Burrard Inlet, directly across from Vancouver, British Columbia. It is the smallest of the three North Shore municipalities, and the most urbanized as well...

. The SeaBus is owned and operated by the Coast Mountain Bus Company
Coast Mountain Bus Company
Coast Mountain Bus Company is the contract operator for bus transit services in Metro Vancouver and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority known locally as TransLink, the entity responsible for transit...

 and is an important part of TransLink's integrated public transportation system.

Service

The SeaBus fleet currently consists of three vessels. The ferries operate between approximately 6:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. daily. During the daytime from Monday to Saturday two of the three ferries are in service, with the two ferries departing simultaneously from opposite termini and passing each other halfway. The 1.75 nautical miles (3.2 km) crossing takes 10–12 minutes in each direction with a cruising speed of 11.5 knots (22.5 km/h), with a 3-5 minute turnaround and, therefore, operates on a 15 minute turn-around schedule. At these times, over 50 crossings are made a day. During the evenings and on Sundays, service is reduced to a 30 minute schedule with only one ferry operating.

The SeaBus is capable of operating on a 12 minute turnaround (or even 10 minutes with simultaneous loading and unloading). However, at the higher speeds, the wake
Wake
A wake is the region of recirculating flow immediately behind a moving or stationary solid body, caused by the flow of surrounding fluid around the body.-Fluid dynamics:...

 created disturbs other users of the Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet is a relatively shallow-sided coastal fjord in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Formed during the last Ice Age, it separates the City of Vancouver and the rest of the low-lying Burrard Peninsula from the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, home to the communities of West...

. During overloads they do sometimes operate at the higher speeds.

The turnstiles on the entrance into the SeaBus waiting area are used only for counting the number of passengers boarding the SeaBus. When the maximum number is reached the turnstiles will "lock" and no more passengers will be allowed on that SeaBus.
Seabus is designated a "Fare Paid Zone" similar to SkyTrain and buses. This means passengers are required by law to retain their transfer or transit pass in the Fare Paid Zone. Fare Inspections are normally done by Transit Security Officers and on occasion by members of the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service. Failure to pay the correct fare or retain their transit fare could result in being removed from the terminal and/or fined $173. Traditionally, like all public transit in Vancouver, the SeaBus offers free rides on New Year's Eve to discourage drinking and driving.

Terminals

The SeaBus stops on the Vancouver side at Waterfront Station
Waterfront Station (Vancouver)
Waterfront Station is a major intermodal public transportation facility and the main transit terminus in Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.-Location:...

, near the Vancouver Convention Centre and cruise ship terminal at Canada Place
Canada Place
Canada Place is a building situated on the Burrard Inlet waterfront of Vancouver, British Columbia. It is the home of the Vancouver Convention Centre, the Pan Pacific Hotel, Vancouver's World Trade Centre, and the world's first permanent IMAX 3D theatre . The building's exterior is covered by...

. At Waterfront Station, there are connections to the SkyTrain and West Coast Express
West Coast Express
West Coast Express is the interregional commuter railway in British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1995, it links Mission, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, and Port Moody with Waterfront Station in Downtown Vancouver, where it interchanges with SkyTrain rapid transit, SeaBus and...

. In North Vancouver, the SeaBus stops at the purpose-built Lonsdale Quay
Lonsdale Quay
Lonsdale Quay is a major transit hub for Vancouver's North Shore municipalities, as well as a public market and tourist destination. Located at the foot of Lonsdale Avenue in the City of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, it is the northern terminal for the SeaBus passenger ferry...

, which in addition to serving many commuters has become an important tourist destination, with a hotel, public market, and bus loop. In 1989, the North Vancouver terminal was designated the 'Charles A. Spratt SeaBus Terminal', in honour of Charles Spratt, Project Manager of the SeaBus project through conception to launch, and Marine Manager of the system until his retirement in 1988.

Construction and operations

The ferries are catamaran
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...

 ferries constructed out of aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....

, which was quite rare when the initial two craft were constructed in the 1970s. The ferries are double ended so that they can travel in either direction without turning around. There are four diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...

s in each hull, one for each propeller. The propulsion system uses a marine version of the same diesel engine used to power many of the diesel bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...

es on the transit system. The ferries can operate with only three propellers if required.

With the radar, the ferries are able to operate in even the densest fog.

The original emergency procedure involved using the other SeaBus to evacuate passengers from the distressed SeaBus. Although the viability of this had been demonstrated, Transport Canada
Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...

 became concerned about this approach during times that the other SeaBus may not be available and has recently mandated the addition of life rafts.

As there are no spare ferries, all refits and upgrades have been done during a long weekend when the half hour service can be maintained with one boat. Changing an engine and minor refits can be done during the out of service time overnight. Despite running for nearly three decades, the two ships are rarely taken out of service for maintenance, boasting a 99.92% service reliability, a record unparalleled in North America.

The ferries operate with four crew on board (Captain
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...

 and First Mate on the bridge and two attendants on the passenger level) and engineers who stay ashore most of the time, but do regular checks of the engines and are available to come aboard at any time.

Design

The colour scheme of SeaBus has changed at least three times since opening in 1977. Originally, and until 1985, both Pacific Otter and Pacific Beaver SeaBus craft were painted a bright orange colour -- the idea being to make them highly visible to other ships/tugs using the harbour since its route crosses the path of other traffic. To accommodate Vancouver's Expo 86
Expo 86
The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo '86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from Friday, May 2 until Monday, October 13, 1986...

, the city's then-transit authority BC Transit
BC Transit
BC Transit is a provincial crown agency responsible for coordinating the delivery of public transportation within British Columbia, Canada, outside of Greater Vancouver...

 changed the design scheme to white with one red and one blue stripe as well as a BC flag label, matching SeaBus with the then newly built SkyTrain
SkyTrain (Vancouver)
SkyTrain is a light rapid transit system in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. SkyTrain has of track and uses fully automated trains on grade-separated tracks, running mostly on elevated guideways, which helps SkyTrain to hold consistently high on-time reliability...

 system and newly ordered bus fleet. This remained until the 1999/2000 handover of BC Transit to Metro Vancouver's present transportation administration, TransLink. The paint scheme has since been white (or grey) with blue and golden yellow strips across the sides of the ferries.

Ferries


  • MV Burrard Otter (1976 - Vancouver) - seats 385
  • MV Burrard Beaver (1976 - Victoria) - seats 385
  • MV Burrard Pacific Breeze (2009 - Vancouver/Victoria) - seats 385


The third vessel, the Burrard Pacific Breeze, began service in December 2009, and TransLink operated all three ferries during the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

. TransLink originally planned to provide regular 3-vessel service by 2011 by overhauling and refitting both the Burrard Otter and the Burrard Beaver following the games to extend their service life for an additional twenty years. However, citing the lack of funding, the agency now plans to upgrade only one of the original vessels, and retire the other one; another new ferry will be commissioned instead if funding becomes available in the future.

Fuel efficiency

The Vancouver SeaBus uses 83 kilowatt-hours per vehicle-kilometre, at a speed of 13.5 kilometres per hour. When full (i.e. when seating 400 people), the energy used is 0.21 kilowatt-hours per passenger-kilometre.

History

The first regular service between the City of North Vancouver and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

 began in 1900 with the craft North Vancouver. Three years later, the North Vancouver Ferry and Power Company was created, took over, and built a new craft called St. George. These two ferries were later renamed North Vancouver Ferry No. 1 and North Vancouver Ferry No. 2. The City of North Vancouver took over the service in 1908 to provide a more reliable ferry connection with Downtown Vancouver. Soon after, another craft, North Vancouver Ferry No. 3 was built. In 1936, the No. 2 was retired and used as a logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...

 camp on the west coast of Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...

 until it was destroyed by fire.

In 1938, the Lions' Gate Bridge
Lions' Gate Bridge
The Lions Gate Bridge, officially known as the First Narrows Bridge, is a suspension bridge that crosses the first narrows of Burrard Inlet and connects the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, to the North Shore municipalities of the District of North Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, and...

 was completed and took away much business from the ferries, however, there was an increased demand with the onset of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 because of the shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...

 boom in North Vancouver. This growth in business spurred the creation of a new ferry, the North Vancouver Ferry No. 5, in 1941. The Crosline
Crosline
The MV Crosline was a wooden, diesel ship launched in Seattle on June 22, 1925 for the Crosby Direct Line Ferry Company. It could carry 300 passengers and 65 cars.-Career:...

was also leased from Washington to meet demands. According to Capt. James Barr, 1943 was the busiest year that North Vancouver Ferries had, ferrying over 7 million passengers across the Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet is a relatively shallow-sided coastal fjord in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Formed during the last Ice Age, it separates the City of Vancouver and the rest of the low-lying Burrard Peninsula from the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, home to the communities of West...

.

The North Vancouver No. 5 was built in Coal Harbour by Boeing Shipyards in 1941. She ran faithfully with her Union Diesel until 1958 when she was tied up at the foot of Lonsdale Ave along with North Vancouver Ferry No 4. Capt. Jesse Oliver Kinnie, a North Vancouver Ferry employee looked into the possibility of purchasing North Vancouver Ferry No. 4 and running it on the same route as she had run all her life. She had a higher height clearance on the car deck than Ferry No 5 and was faster. The numbers did not add up and the plan was abandoned. Number 4 ferry also ran on a Union Diesel.

The ferries were in major decline by the 1950s. In 1948 the No. 3 was taken off of regular service and was sold in 1953. The cost of operating the ferries was too high and in 1958 and the last sailing took place on August 30 by the No. 4 ferry. The No. 4 was later sold to be used in Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and home to some 12,815 people .-History:...

. Later, No. 4 returned to Vancouver and was tied up on the Vancouver side of Burrard Inlet. She was in desperate need of a refit and had to be kept afloat with pumps to keep the water out of her hull. When the power failed and the pumps stopped she went to the bottom. The No. 5 was converted into the Seven Seas Restaurant at the foot of Lonsdale in North Vancouver. It remained there until 2002 when the City of North Vancouver and the federal courts had it demolished after a long standing dispute who would be responsible if it sank and concern that the hull was in danger of imminent collapse. In dry dock it proved to be quite sound, but at that point the decision had already been made to scrap it and a piece of heritage was lost.

The current SeaBus ferries began operating the same route in 1977, initially as part of the Transportation Division of BC Hydro
BC Hydro
The BC Hydro and Power Authority is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia generally known simply as BC Hydro. It is the main electric distributor, serving 1.8 million customers in most areas, with the exception of the Kootenay region, where FortisBC, a subsidiary of Fortis...

. The SeaBus system was built with money originally slated for a proposed (and quashed) freeway crossing across Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet is a relatively shallow-sided coastal fjord in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Formed during the last Ice Age, it separates the City of Vancouver and the rest of the low-lying Burrard Peninsula from the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, home to the communities of West...

. For the first few years of service, the automated fare machines (the first in Vancouver's transit system) at the two SeaBus terminals photocopied the rider's coins onto a cash-register-style receipt, which could become very long if fares were paid in small-denomination coins such as pennies.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK