Hullo (ferry)
 At the Downtown Vancouver terminal | |
| Locale | British Columbia, Canada |
|---|---|
| Waterway | Salish Sea |
| Transit type | Passenger ferry |
| Owner | Vancouver Island Ferry |
| Operator | Hullo |
| Began operation | August 16, 2023 |
| No. of vessels | 2 |
| No. of terminals | Vancouver Nanaimo |
| Website | hullo.com |
Hullo, officially the Vancouver Island Ferry Company, is a privately owned passenger ferry service in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It operates up to fourteen daily sailings between downtown Vancouver and downtown Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Each one-way trip takes around 75 minutes.
History
[edit]The Vancouver Island Ferry Company was founded in 2022 with funding from Conqora Capital Partners and InfraRed Capital Partners. It is the fifth venture to attempt such a ferry service, following the previous service, HarbourLynx, which ceased operations in February 2006.[1]
The service was scheduled to begin with a soft launch on August 14, 2023, but was delayed due to power outages in Nanaimo and high winds.[2] Sailings were also cancelled for the following day. The inaugural departure on August 16 was limited to 189 passengers. Only two daily round trips were scheduled for the first weeks of service.[3]
In May 2024, Hullo announced it had served 250,000 passengers within its first nine months of service.[4]
On its 1 year anniversary in August 2024, Hullo announced it had served 400,000 passengers in its first year, or approximately 1,100 people daily. [5]
Vessels
[edit]The company's two vessels, spuhéls and sthuqi’, are both Damen-built Fast Ferry 4212 models,[6][7] high-speed catamarans that seat 354 passengers each. They are named for wind and Sockeye salmon in the Hul̓q̓umín̓um̓ language used by the Snuneymuxw First Nation on Vancouver Island. The vessels were manufactured in Vietnam and delivered in June 2023.[8] The vessels do not accommodate electric bicycles due to battery fire regulations.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Korstrom, Glen (August 22, 2023). "Hullo aims to succeed where other ferry operators have failed". Business in Vancouver. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ John Lo, Michael (August 14, 2023). "High winds, power outage force cancellation of first sailings for Hullo passenger ferry". Times Colonist. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ^ "Hullo further delays opening, cuts scheduled sailings through August". Nanaimo News Now. August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Wilson, Carla (May 25, 2024). "Hullo Ferries hits 250,000-passenger mark, anticipates busy summer". Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ "Hullo Ferries celebrates first anniversary, looks to expand service". Aug 17, 2024. Retrieved Aug 22, 2024.
- ^ "The two Damen 4212 class arrived in Vancouver". Ferry Shipping News. June 30, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ "Fast Ferry 4212 with 40 knots max speed | Damen". www.damen.com. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ Chan, Cheryl (June 9, 2023). "New passenger ferry between Nanaimo and Vancouver will begin sailing early August". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ^ Judd, Amy; Ke, Grace (October 9, 2023). "'It's 2023': B.C. woman shocked Hullo Ferries doesn't allow motorized wheelchairs". Global News. Retrieved October 10, 2023.