MV Queen of Coquitlam

BC Ferries MV Queen of Coquitlam, arriving at Horseshoe Bay
History
Canada
NameQueen of Coquitlam
NamesakeCoquitlam, British Columbia
OwnerBritish Columbia Ferry Services Inc.
OperatorBritish Columbia Ferry Services Inc.
RouteDeparture Bay - Horseshoe Bay Horseshoe Bay - Langdale
OrderedMarch 1974
BuilderBurrard Yarrows Corp., North Vancouver
CostCA$20 million (1974) (equivalent to CA$120 million in 2023)
LaunchedDecember 1975
CompletedJuly 1976
In service1976
Refit2003
HomeportVancouver, British Columbia
Identification
Statusship in active service
General characteristics
Class & typeC-class RORO ferry
Tonnage6,503
Length139 m (456 ft)
Beam27.08 m (88.8 ft)
Draft5.331 m (17.49 ft)
Decks3 car decks, 1 passenger deck, 1 sun deck
Installed power11,860 hp (8,840 kW)
PropulsionTwo MaK 12M551AK
Speed20.5 knots (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph)
Capacity
  • 1,470 passengers
  • 362 cars
  • 345.0 tonnes diesel fuel
Crew30

MV Queen of Coquitlam is a C-class ferry in the BC Ferries fleet, launched in 1976. She first operated on BC Ferries' Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay route. For most of her life, she has been a replacement/relief vessel on all the major routes serving Metro Vancouver. She is named for the city of Coquitlam.

This ship has the distinction of being the only BC Ferries vessel to have issued a mayday from dry dock when, during a 1980 maintenance layover, she tipped in the Burrard Shipyards drydock, causing approximately CAD $3 million in damage. In November 2002, she started a major rehabilitation that would extend her service life by another 20 years. The refurbishment, costing CAD $18 million, improved her passenger services with some minor work to her engineering. Additionally, over 100 tonnes of steel was either added or replaced, and four evacuation stations were installed. She returned to service by June 2003.

Upon return, Queen of Coquitlam started regular service on Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay route. Queen of Oak Bay, which had a similar refit to Queen of Coquitlam, displaced her from her route in the early Summer 2005. She currently operates as a secondary vessel on Langdale - Horseshoe Bay in the summer, as well as a replacement vessel for any of the other C class or Super C-class vessels when they are sent for refitting.