BC Ferries is planning upgrades on the Mill Bay ferry run, despite the fact the route could still be closed.
Improvements are slated at both Mill Bay and Brentwood Bay terminals — to accommodate the newer, larger Klitsa — during the first three weeks in May.
“MV Mill Bay is actually going to be retiring,” said Ferries’ spokeswoman Deborah Marshall. “That vessel is 55 years old, and it’s been a great vessel but it’s come to the end of its economic life for BC Ferries.”
The Mill Bay will go up for sale, Marshall said, and the 39-year-old Klitsa will take its place on the run.
“It’s a slightly larger vessel, and it’s also a heavier vessel, so we have to do some dock improvements on both sides to accommodate it,” Marshall said, adding upgrades mean Mill Bay ferry service will be temporarily suspended during the three weeks of work.
Permanently closing the route, meanwhile, was put forward as one of 10 possible options for cutting ferry user costs in the coming years.
The provincial government will make the final call on that possibility by June 30, when it renews Ferries’ contract for April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2016.
“We’re in a situation where we’ve got a contract with the government to provide services on that route — on all routes — and until we hear anything different, we’re got an obligation to continue that,” Marshall explained. “The Mill Bay has a refit every four years and it’s coming up to that time she’d need a refit and a dry docking and Transport Canada inspections to renew certificates. The cost of that is more than $2 million, so it’s just not a prudent move to put that kind of money into a vessel of this age.”
Terminal upgrades will target the berthing structures.
“We have to widen the wing walls, reposition the wing walls and (adjust) some of the marine structure to accommodate this newer ship,” Marshall said.
The MV Mill Bay has a 16-vehicle capacity; the Klitsa will carry 22.
Readying the Klitsa for its new route will cost an estimated $2.3 million, with another $2.8 million required for dock adjustments.
Specific dates for the temporary run suspension will be made available to the public when BC Ferries nails them down.