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New BC Ferries vessel officially enters B.C. waters
The Island Gwa’yam arrived in Victoria Inner Harbour on Sept. 9 after being built in Romania and will undergo testing and crew training before carrying passengers.
One of the new Island Class vessels expected to join the BC Ferries fleet over the next year has arrived in British Columbia. The Island Gwa’yam, pronounced Gwuh-yum, reached Victoria Inner Harbour on Wednesday, Sept. 9, after being built at Damen Shipyards in Romania.
Like the Island xwsaĺux̌ul, which arrived in late spring, the vessel will undergo final testing, sea trials and crew training before entering passenger service. The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority said on social media that it was exciting to see BC Ferries’ ninth Island Class vessel at Ogden Point that morning.
The authority said Gwa’yam means “whale” in the Kwak’wala language and that the word was gifted by We Wai Kai First Nation. The 80-metre vessel cleared customs at the terminal while the Emerald Princess was moored on the other side of the pier.
The Island Gwa’yam is part of BC Ferries’ expanding Island Class fleet, designed for shorter inter-island routes. In November 2025, the company announced First Nations language names for all four new vessels. Along with the Island xwsaĺux̌ul and Island Gwa’yam, the vessels are the Island K’asa and Island sarlequun.
The Island Gwa’yam and Island K’asa will operate Route 23 between Campbell River and Quadra Island. The Island xwsaĺux̌ul and Island sarlequun will operate Route 19 between Nanaimo and Gabriola Island. When all four vessels enter service in 2027, BC Ferries’ fleet of hybrid-electric vessels in this class serving minor routes will grow from six to 10.
BC Ferries selected Damen Shipyards to build the four vessels in January 2024. In May 2024, the Canada Infrastructure Bank provided a low-cost $75-million loan to help finance the order. The final vessel was launched at the Romanian shipyard in March 2026.
Island Class vessels are relatively small, measuring 265 feet (81 metres) and carrying about 400 passengers and crew as well as 47 vehicles. They are BC Ferries’ first hybrid-electric vessels, using a mix of fossil fuels and battery power, with the potential to be fully converted to 100 per cent battery-electric operation. BC Ferries plans to invest in fully electrifying the vessels, which will also require charging infrastructure at ferry terminals.