PAGE D1 $6.8M upgrade to draw bigger cruise ships
New $6.8-million dolphins being built at Ogden Point will be ready in time for a record 2019 cruise season that will deliver the next generation of huge vessels to Ogden Point.
The dolphins — heavy-duty pier extensions for tying up and stabilizing ships — will enable the Royal Caribbean Line’s Quantumclass Ovation of the Seas to pull in to Pier B at Ogden Point next year.
The 1,140-foot-long ship will be new to Victoria. It is scheduled to make coveted day-long calls on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“This is great news for Victoria,” Sonterra Ross, chief operating officer of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, said Thursday. The harbour authority owns and operates Ogden Point.
Local businesses are thrilled when ships dock for a full day because it gives visitors plenty of time to take in local attractions and spend their money throughout the region. Many cruise ships stop in late afternoon, giving visitors less time on shore.
The Ovation of the Seas can carry up to 4,900 passengers and has a gross tonnage of 169,000, Ross said.
“The industry itself is going to larger ships. We are preparing our infrastructure to respond to the deployment of these larger ships into the Alaskan theatre,” she said.
This year, the Norwegian Bliss became the largest cruise ship to dock at Ogden Point. It measures 1,094 feet long, weighs 168,000 tonnes and carries up to 4,250 passengers. New bollards were installed at Pier A to accommodate the vessel.
The Norwegian Joy, sister ship to the Norwegian Bliss, will be visiting Victoria in 2019 on Fridays. It can carry close to 3,900 passengers. The Bliss will be back on Saturday nights, Ross said.
Next year is expected to set a record for ship visits at 265, and for passenger numbers of slightly more than 730,000, she said. Every year, more than 260,000 crew members are also on board the ships and many come ashore to sight see and shop.
Dolphins are used to moor and stabilize vessels. The existing Pier B is 800 feet long and a new dolphin to accommodate larger vessels was installed in 2010. Now it is time to increase capacity again.
The Harbour Authority is contributing $4.926 million to the new dolphin project.
Marco Mendicino, parliamentary secretary to the federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, announced a contribution of up $1.914 million.
“Expanding the dolphin wharf at Victoria Harbour’s Ogden Point cruise terminal will help Vancouver Island continue to thrive as a top destination for tourists and businesses alike while creating jobs and new economic opportunities for residents,” Mendicino said.
The main mooring dolphin will be 58 metres west of the existing dolphin. Another dolphin will go in 34 metres north of the current dolphin. Each will be three metres in diameter. The mooring dolphin will weigh 185,500 kilograms and the other dolphin will be 153,000 kilograms.
A crane is floating on the site right now and steel will be delivered for the project in a couple of weeks, Ross said.