Clipper Navigation has acquired a 52-metre high-speed catamaran from its parent company and plans to launch its passenger service between Victoria and downtown Vancouver in the spring of 2018.
The vessel called Halunder Jet can carry 579 passengers and travel at speeds up to 36 knots.
The Halunder Jet has been in operation between Hamburg and Heligoland, where it has operated since 2003.
The company said the vessel has operated in difficult sea conditions similar to the Strait of Georgia and uses a motion dampening system to help prevent motion sickness, providing passengers with a more comfortable ride.
The vessel is due to arrive in the fall and will be retrofitted to Clipper’s specifications and reflagged for its new operation.
“For more than 30 years we have safely and reliably operated ferry services around the Salish Sea, and we know that customer comfort is again paramount for our new Vancouver to Victoria route. Halunder Jet is the perfect addition to the Clipper fleet and aligns with our high standards for customer service.”
This new service provided by Clipper Vacations will compete with the V2V Vacations, which launches on May 1, 2017.
Clipper’s vessel will seat 325 more passengers and will be approximately three hours, making the trip about 30 minutes faster than the alternate and more expensive V2V Vacations service.
