VIDEO: FRS transfers cat to Clipper for BC route

MARCH 3, 2017 — Seattle, WA, headquartered Clipper Navigation, Inc, is to launch a new passenger ferry service between downtown Vancouver, BC and downtown Victoria VC in spring 2018.

Clipper, which operates Clipper Vacations, will receive a 52-m (170 feet) high-speed catamaran called Halunder Jet from its parent company, Germany’s Förde Reederei Seetouristik (FRS), in fall 2017.

Delivered in 2003 by Norwegian shipbuilder Fjellstrand, the vessel currently operates in the North Sea, carries 579 passengers and can travel at speeds up to 36 knots.

Halunder Jet was custom built for FRS’ operations between Hamburg and Heligoland where it has operated very successfully since 2003 moving 372,000 passengers annually.

The vessel has operated in difficult sea conditions similar to the Salish Sea and uses a motion dampening system to help consistently deliver a comfortable ride for customers. Halunder Jet will be retrofitted to Clipper’s specifications and reflagged for its new operation ahead of the spring 2018 launch.

“Clipper has been committed to ensuring that we have the right vessel for this route,” says Tobias Haack, CEO of Clipper. “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. We could not be more excited to launch this new operation with our longstanding tourism partners in Victoria, Vancouver and across the Pacific Northwest.”