Hullo Ferries’ Nanaimo ferry terminal was temporarily relocated northward today, just for the day, bringing it close to the core of downtown Nanaimo’s waterfront.
The high-speed passenger ferry’s established Vancouver Island terminal is usually located further south at the Nanaimo Port Authority facility, co-located with the Helijet terminal.
However, due to the arrival of the cruise ship Oceania Regatta, Hullo Ferries was required to temporarily relocate its terminal to the WE Mills Landing and Marina, which is just east of the seaplane terminal and just north of BC Ferries’ Gabriola Island ferry terminal.
Also, today’s scheduled sailings were reduced to three roundtrips instead of the regular schedule of six roundtrips for a summer Monday.
Although the temporary downtown Nanaimo terminal location’s accessibility is more convenient for foot passengers, the end-to-end travel time between Nanaimo and Vancouver became slightly longer at 80 minutes, instead of the regular 70 minutes, due to the longer passage. The location of the downtown Vancouver terminal is unchanged.
Hullo Ferries spokesperson Grace Gabriel told Daily Hive Urbanized this is the first time the company’s Nanaimo ferry terminal has been temporarily relocated, and they are “working closely with the Nanaimo Port Authority to plan for future cruise ship dockings.”
Driving distance from Hullo Ferries’ regular Nanaimo Port Authority terminal location to the temporary downtown Nanaimo terminal location at the WE Mills Landing and Marina on August 26, 2024. (Submitted)
Hullo Ferries’ temporary downtown Nanaimo terminal location at the WE Mills Landing and Marina on August 26, 2024. (Submitted)
Hullo Ferries’ temporary downtown Nanaimo terminal location at the WE Mills Landing and Marina on August 26, 2024. (Submitted)
To better accommodate the temporary terminal relocation, Hullo Ferries adjusted the route of its free shuttle bus service to transport passengers between the shuttle bus stop near the bus exchange (at the intersection of Front Street and Port Drive) and the Nanaimo Port Authority facility, so that passengers can pick up their vehicles parked at the Hullo Ferries parking lot facility.
Hullo Ferries’ Nanaimo terminal will return to its normal location tomorrow, Tuesday, August 27, 2024, and will resume its regular sailing schedule.
Two cruise ships were scheduled to stop at Nanaimo for the entirety of the 2024 cruise ship season, with the Seabourn Odyssey being the first ship on May 9 and the Oceania Regatta being the second.
Oceania Regatta is 594 feet long, has nine decks, a tonnage of 30,277 GT, and a capacity for up to 820 passengers and nearly 400 crew.
Hullo Ferries’ temporary downtown Nanaimo terminal location at the WE Mills Landing and Marina on August 26, 2024, with the cruise ship Oceania Regatta at Hullo Ferries’ regular terminal location in the background. (Submitted)
Hullo Ferries’ temporary downtown Nanaimo terminal location at the WE Mills Landing and Marina on August 26, 2024, with the cruise ship Oceania Regatta at Hullo Ferries’ regular terminal location in the background. (Submitted)
“The Oceania Regatta arrived today and we are so excited for the return of cruise ships to Nanaimo, which boosts tourism and economic opportunities for our region. We have worked closely with our partners at Hullo and have made adjustments to ensure their services continue smoothly during cruise ship dockings,” Andrea Thomas, the manager of engagement, content, and cruise development for the Port of Nanaimo, told Daily Hive Urbanized.
“We look forward to continued collaboration with Hullo for future cruise ship visits.”
According to the latest cruise ship schedule for the Port of Nanaimo, three cruise ship visits are currently scheduled for 2025 — Europa 2 on April 21, Seabourn Quest on May 15, and Noordam on October 10.
Hullo Ferries celebrated its one-year anniversary earlier in August 2024. To date, using a pair of 350-seat catamaran vessels, the service has seen success with over 400,000 passengers recorded to date.