Seaspan Coastal Intermodal Company becomes Seaspan Ferries

The Washington family purchased the Coastal Intermodal Company on November 17, 1998 and renamed it Seaspan Coastal Intermodal Company (SCIC). In 2011, the company rebranded and is now called Seaspan Ferries Corporation.

On December 9, 2011, Seaspan Ferries Corporation acquired the business of Van Isle Barge Services Ltd. This included the acquisition of three barges and the operating rights to their two terminals in Surrey and Duke Point.

This purchase signaled Seaspan’s commitment to the BC marine transportation industry. The drop trailer business is core to Seaspan, and this transaction provided an opportunity for Seaspan Ferries to reinvest in its fleet and operations. We are passionate about continuing the legacy of providing first class drop trailer ferry services between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

Early Beginnings

In 1901, Canadian Pacific Railway purchased a controlling interest in the Canadian Pacific Navigation Company with the formal transfer taking place in 1903. As a result, the BC Coast Steamship Service (BCCSS) was formed.

One of the vessels of the new fleet was the former Hudson’s Bay vessel, Princess Louise, which became the precursor to the famed BCCSS fleet of 32 Princess ships. The Princess Superior is the last Princess vessel in service today.

The freight transfer barges of the first half of the century gave way to truly intermodal ferries, culminating in 1955 with the Princess of Vancouver, a vessel capable of handling passenger vehicles, railcars, trucks and trailers. This evolution continued with the advent of self-propelled, roll on, roll off vessels that were faster and more efficient. In the initial stages, BCCSS chartered ships to replace the transfer barges, but eventually purchased its own self-propelled ship, a converted US Navy LST renamed Trailer Princess.

Although BCCSS remained a legal name, a new identity Coastal Marine Operations was created to reflect Canadian Pacific Railway’s new Bay of Fundy service started on the East Coast, in 1977.

1981 marked the end of the company’s passenger service. In 1995, Coastal Marine Operations moved from their Coal Harbour location in the Burrard Inlet to a new state-of-the-art facility at Tilbury Island, in Delta, BC.

The Washington family purchased the Coastal Intermodal Company on November 17, 1998 and renamed it Seaspan Coastal Intermodal Company (SCIC). In 2011, the company rebranded and is now called Seaspan Ferries Corporation.

Full Seaspan History