Duke Point ferry terminal

Duke Point is a major ferry terminal owned and operated by BC Ferries that provides ferry service across the Strait of Georgia to Tsawwassen. The ferry terminal is located at Duke Point in Nanaimo and is the only major terminal in the BC Ferries system without a public transit connection.[2]

Duke Point
Ferry terminal
Aerial view of the Duke Point ferry terminal
General information
Location400 Duke Point Highway
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Canada
Coordinates 49.1620032°N 123.8941355°W / 49.1620032; -123.8941355
Owned byBC Ferries
Operated byBC Ferries
Line(s)Route 30–Tsawwassen
Construction
Parking
  • 78 short-term spaces
  • 194 long-term spaces
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeDUKE[1]
Websitewww.bcferries.com/travel-boarding/terminal-directions-parking-food/nanaimo-duke-point/DUK
History
Opened9 June 1997
Passengers
2022933 539[Note 1] Increase 46.85%

The terminal was built in 1997 for $42 million (equivalent to $67.88 million in 2022) to divert commercial vehicle traffic away from BC Ferries' other main Nanaimo terminal in the heart of the city, thus easing traffic jams through Nanaimo's city centre. It was officially opened on 9 June 1997 by Premier Glen Clark and saw its first sailings the following day.[3] It has one berth, but was built to be easily expanded to have a second berth in the future, should the route require it.

In 2013, 42 percent of passengers travelling from Nanaimo to the mainland went through Duke Point.[4]

The ferry terminal marks the southern terminus of Highway 19, which connects the terminal to the Trans-Canada Highway just south of Nanaimo's city centre via the Duke Point Highway. The highway cost $50 million (equivalent to 80.81 million in 2022) to build.[3]

Incidents and accidents

On December 20, 2011, MV Coastal Inspiration experienced a hard landing upon arrival at Duke Point terminal. The terminal berth sustained significant damage and the vessel's port side doors were also damaged. The terminal required extensive repairs, requiring a closure of over four months, with all service re-routed through Departure Bay,[5][6] finally re-opening on May 1, 2012.

See also

Notes
  1. Figures obtained for 2021 & 2022 from adding the passengers counted at Duke Point in each month of the calendar year.[Note 2] The figures under "Total Prev Year" are not used because those denote fiscal years instead of calendar years. The total passenger count at Duke Point for 2021 is 635 700. Only statistics denoting "passenger" traffic is counted; it is unclear whether passengers from vehicles are included in this statistic. The significant percentage increase from 2021 to 2022 is due to reduced 2021 passenger traffic from the COVID-19 pandemic.

References
  1. "Plans, Reports, Policies and Other Resources". Connecting the Coast. BC Ferries. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  2. "Nanaimo Regional Transit System map".
  3. "Duke Point Terminal Now Open". Times Colonist. 7 December 2008 – via ProQuest.
  4. Seyd, Jane (March 16, 2014). "West Vancouver merchants worried over future ferry plans". North Shore News.
  5. "All holiday sailings to proceed despite Duke Point closure" (Press release). Victoria: BC Ferries. December 21, 2011. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  6. "BC Ferries to operate mid island route via Departure Bay" (Press release). Victoria: BC Ferries. December 20, 2011. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-11-06.


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