The Howe Sound Queen served BC Ferries for nearly 50 years, now she could be about to get a new owner.
The 74m long vessel fetched a top bid of $210,000 (with taxes and buyers premium =$246,960) as an on-line auction wrapped up on Tuesday.
It followed a bidding war between several prospective buyers that saw the price of the ferry jump by nearly $90,000 in the final 45 minutes.
The identity of the top bidder has not been revealed.
The Howe Sound Queen continues to serve the Crofton to Vesuvius route, but BC Ferries will retire the vessel on June 1st.
According to the website GovDeals.ca, the vessel will be “kept warm and in operational state until ownership change.”
She was built in Sorel, Quebec in 1964, and bought by BC Ferries in 1971.
The Howe Sound Queen has a capacity of 300 passengers and 52 cars.
According to Westcoastferries.ca, she was the first BC Ferry built in Canada outside of BC.
The vessel served the Bowen Island-Horseshoe Bay route until 1992.
The final auction price will now have to approved by British Columbia Ferry Services.
Ben O'Hara
