Fast ferries go cheap
WebPosted Mar 24 2003 12:45 PM PST
VANCOUVER - After years of controversy, B.C.'s three fast ferries have been sold at auction for just $13 million US. The vessels cost B.C. taxpayers $454 million Cdn.
Two of the catamarans ? the Voyageur and the Discovery were sold for US$4.5 million each.
Bidding on the Voyageur began at US$200,000 and ended 11 minutes later, at US$4.5 million.
The successful bidder then opted to buy a second vessel at the same price.
The third vessel, the Explorer then went on the block, and was sold within six minutes for US$4 million.
FROM MAR. 19, 2003: Last-ditch bid to keep fast ferries in B.C.
The three vessels were built by the previous NDP government in an effort to boost the B.C. shipbuiling industry
Instead the ferries turned into a major political embarrassment as costs more than doubled to $454 million.
They also had a series of mechanical problems, and were deemed unsuitable to operate in B.C. waters
They had been on the market for about three years, but there had been no buyers. At that point, the Campbell government turned them over to Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers.