MV Queen of Cowichan

MV Queen of Cowichan is a BC Ferries vessel, built in Victoria, British Columbia in 1976. It joined the other two C-class ferries built that year, MV Queen of Alberni and MV Queen of Coquitlam, and was followed by MV Queen of Surrey and MV Queen of Oak Bay. The ship, like all C-class ferries, is double-ended. This means the ship never has to turn around in port during regular service. The ships two MaK 12M551AK engines turn out 11,860 hp which gives it a service speed of 20.5 kn. Like all the C-class ferries it is 139.28 m long. Almost identical to Queen of Coquitlam, the vessel has a car capacity of 312 and a passenger capacity for 1,494 people. The ship has two car decks. A lower car deck capable of carrying trucks and buses carries the overheight vehicles while the upper car deck can carry the majority of the cars on board. She is named for the regional district of Cowichan Valley Regional District.