[officedweller]

New ferry passes through Panama Canal
December 06, 2006 - 1:11 pm
By: Megan Cameron

VICTORIA (NEWS1130) - BC Ferries newest northern vessel is on its way.
The MV Sonia will pass through the Panama Canal tomorrow, a journey that is expected to take about eight hours.
The ship is scheduled to arrive in Victoria in a couple of weeks and will then undergo a nine-million dollar upgrade.
BC Ferries hopes to have the vessel in operation on the Northern routes in April, to replace the Queen of the North, which sank earlier this year.

You can watch its passage through the canal on BC Ferries website.

http://www.bcferries.com/about/fleet/_soniatracker.html

The new paint job looks great:

http://www.bcferries.com/files/images/fleet/Sonia_under_way_390_w.png

[officedweller]

Check out these other pics on pbase:

http://www.pbase.com/kstapleton/mv_sonia

Great chronology of pics here:

http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/adamantios_korais_2004.htm

http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/adamantios_korais_2004_1.jpg

http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/sonia_2004_2.jpg

http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/sonia_x_2004_1.jpg

http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/sonia_2004_6.jpg

[officedweller]

Posted on the Ferries of BC Forum:

MV Sonia arrived at Cristobal Pier on December 4 and was cleared by Port Authorities at 8:10 pm local time. The vessel is now taking on fuel and preparing for Panama Canal transit, which is expected to take place between 7:00 pm December 7 and 4:00 am December 8 (local time).

[mr.x]

that looks awesome!

[raggedy13]

Wow, it's actually looking sexy. I wouldn't have thought it possible after seeing earlier pics of it.

[David]

It looks surprisingly sleek for a ferry. It looks more like a huuuuge yacht.

[Canadian Mind]

nothing quote like a fresh paint job. ;)

We bought the thing used and its still the newest ship in the fleet. Speaking of which, when are we getting thos new german ferries, and which ships are they replacing?

[officedweller]

Next year I think.
They are supposed to replace the V class ferries - the Queen of Burnaby, Vancouver, Nanaimo, etc. - the older ones. Not sure which route, but I think they are for Departure Bay - Horseshoe Bay.

[Galvanized]

It's passing through Panama Canal as I type this. http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html

[Policy Wonk]

When will Tsawwassen be retired? Sidney was retired just about six years ago?

[raggedy13]

Here's a pic of it when it was in the Panama Canal from the BC Ferries website...

http://www.bcferries.com/files/soniamaps/Sonia_Miaflores_5.jpg

[Taller Better]

Very cool ferry. Beautiful!

[officedweller]

Nice, thanks!

[hollywoodnorth]

nice stuff thanks!

[Stingray2004]

I guess when I initially saw her, she was a bit of a dog...with the prominant humpback, etc.

http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/sonia_2004_2.jpg

But after the new paint job, she's kind of a looker, almost a Cinderalla story...

http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/sonia_2004_6.jpg

The interior appointments also don't look too shabby...

http://modena.intergate.ca/personal/pl8s/BCF/New_Fy/sonia_24.jpg

[excel]

Nice looking ship!

[mr.x]

wowowowow!

[Canadian Mind]

wholly crap. Cinderella? more like Cinderella meets beauty and the beast, except the beast turns into beauty. Is Sonia the official name? And that interior is incredible! More like a cruise ship that a ferry IMO.

[feepa]

As I look at this thread for the first time, this song suddenly comes on my winamp

David Wilcox - River Boat Fantasy.mp3

strange

[officedweller]

Sequence showng the ship lowered in the locks:

http://www.bcferries.com/files/images/fleet/miraflores_1_ani.gif

http://www.bcferries.com/files/soniamaps/Sonia_Manzanillo.jpg

[raggedy13]

That's a pretty sweet pic, thanks for posting it officedweller, and for that sequence. The Panama Canal never ceases to impress me.

[Stingray2004]

Well, I guess BC Ferries had to do it - junk the existing "Sonia" branding with a new image - It's now gonna be the Northern Adventure.

________________________________________________________

BC Ferries Goes to Market on Northern Fleet Names

Canadian Press
Published: Saturday, December 16, 2006

VICTORIA

BC Ferries has chosen marketing over sentimentality in naming its new northern fleet.

After the wreck of the Queen of the North in March and the rescue efforts of the residents of an isolated First Nations village, there was talk of naming a replacement vessel the Spirit of Hartley Bay.

Instead, Ferries CEO David Hahn says the company has opted for names that reflect a marketing initiative aimed at cashing in on the beauty of the north coast.

The first ship, to be known as the Northern Adventure, is the two-year-old Sonia, bought in Europe and soon to arrive in Victoria.

A new replacement for the Queen of Prince Rupert, which is expected to go into service in 2009, will be called the Northern Expedition, while a third ship will be called Northern Discovery.

Hahn says Hartley Bay will be recognized with BC Ferries-funded community improvement projects and a special marker to honour the rescue efforts of its citizens, who helped save about 100 people from the Queen of the North.

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

[officedweller]

Now in Victoria - Pic Dec 18th, 2006:

http://www.bcferries.com/files/soniamaps/Sonia_in_Victoria.jpg