The V2V has been sitting immobile in Victoria’s Inner Harbour for the better part of two years and has finally been taken away.
The “fast ferry” catamaran that used to traverse the Strait of Georgia taking passengers from downtown Victoria to downtown Vancouver was sold to a Mexican firm that operates an express ferry service throughout the Caribbean Islands.
V2V began operations out of the Inner Harbour in 2017. It operated for several years, never really gaining footing over BC Ferries and eventually ceased operations and shut down in January 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
On January 10th, the vessel was removed from its mooring in Victoria’s Inner Harbour and it was taken to Ogden Point to be loaded upon the BBC Mont Blanc, a Caribbean flagged ship that is registered to Antigua Barbuda.
The cargo ship had to utilize two cranes to lift the vessel aboard using large straps that ran underneath the V2V Empress running from port to starboard.
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The BBC Mont Blanc remains in port at Ogden Point until it departs for Florida before bringing its cargo to port in the Caribbean.
You may also like:
- A new high-speed ferry service from Nanaimo to Vancouver is launching this summer
- V2V ferry service from Victoria to Vancouver ceases operations after three years
Although the business model of a luxury, fast ferry from downtown to downtown didn’t work in Victoria, a high-speed ferry service was recently announced to begin operations in the summer of 2023 that’ll run between Nanaimo and downtown Vancouver.
Did you ever ride on the V2V Empress? Let us know in the comments if you liked the experience!
