Marios Iliopoulos-controlled Seajets has resold a 17-year-old ferry as part of a project co-funded by the Canadian government.
Victoria-based BC Ferries has confirmed that it was “finalising an agreement” to acquire the 2,700-gt Aqua Spirit (built 2000) for CAD 12.6m ($9.46m).
This is likely to be a lucrative deal for Seajets, which acquired the ship in early 2016, at an undisclosed price. The Aqua Spirit used to be in the fleet of defunct Greek ferry operator Nel Lines, which fell victim to the country’s debt crisis.
The ship is still sailing in Aegean waters and BC Ferries will take delivery of it in August 2017.
Major upgrades
The ship, which was built at the Panagiotakis Bros yard in Salamina, Greece, will then undergo “major upgrades” before it enters summer service in 2018.
Funding from the Canadian government played a key part in clinching the deal. The Aqua Spirit will be employed on a new service between Port Hardy and Bella Coola as part of a government-funded project to support Aboriginal tourism in British Columbia.
“When the province [of British Columbia] announced its commitment to the new route last year, BC Ferries launched an international search to secure an appropriate vessel,” said Mark Collins, BC Ferries’ president and chief executive. Canadian regulators approved the company's application to acquire the Aqua Spirit on 5 April.
BC Ferries is one of the biggest ferry operators in the world, with a fleet of about 35.
