
Technical Specifications
Overview
MV Queen of the North was a roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ferry built by AG Weser of Germany and operated by BC Ferries, which ran along an 18-hour route along the British Columbia Coast of Canada between Port Hardy and Prince Rupert, British Columbia, a route also known as the Inside Passage. On March 22, 2006, with 101 people aboard, she failed to make a planned course change, ran aground and sank (around 1400 ft). Two passengers, whose bodies were never found, died in the incident. The ship had a gross register tonnage of 8,806 (the fifth largest in fleet), and an overall length of 125 metres (410 ft) (14th longest in the fleet). She had a capacity of 700 passengers and 115 cars.
Compliance
At 2000 on 21 March 2006, the passenger and vehicle ferry Queen of the North departed Prince Rupert, British Columbia, for Port Hardy, British Columbia. On board were 59 passengers and 42 crew members. After entering Wright Sound from Grenville Channel, the vessel struck the northeast side of Gil Island at approximately 0021 on March 22. The vessel sustained extensive damage to its hull, lost its propulsion, and drifted for about 1 hour and 17 minutes before it sank in 430 m of water. Passengers and crew abandoned the vessel before it sank. Two passengers were unaccounted for after the abandonment and have since been declared dead.
On 21 July 2005, the P/F "QUEEN OF THE NORTH" experienced steering problems whilst in Seaforth Channel, B.C. Repairs affected on board.
On 02 September 2004, the P/F "QUEEN OF THE NORTH" reported a close quarters situation with the U.S. registered P/C "DRAGON LADY IV", near Genn Islands, B.C.
On 24 July 2004, the P/F "QUEEN OF THE NORTH" had a near collision with the F/V "FAT 168", near Pointer Island, B.C.
On 30 January 2004, the P/F "QUEEN OF THE NORTH" suffered a steering gearl breakdown caused by a broken shear pin in the actuating lever while departing Victoria Harbour, B.C.
On 01 October, 2003, the P/F "QUEEN OF THE NORTH" and the F/V "JIBORE" were involved in a close quarters situation near Adam River in Johnstone Strait, B.C.
On 21 July, 2001, Ferry "QUEEN OF THE NORTH" reported a close quarters situation with a Herring Skiff "UNK/INC" .
An unknown herring skiff manouvered dangerously close to P/F "QUEEN OF THE NORTH" striking her stern and leaving the scene. No damage to the "QUEEN OF THE NORTH", damage unknown to the herring skiff.
Recorded marine occurrences naming this vessel.
Composite Risk
Multiple adverse factors, or a hard ship-specific signal, lift this hull above the fleet norm.
A coverage-weighted blend of the single component we could read for this hull; the weights renormalise over only the components present, so a thin read is never inflated and a hull is never credited a “safe 0” for a signal it has no row for. This headline is flagged low-confidence (a thin or structural-only read) and should not be treated as a verdict. Higher means riskier. Derived in-house from government-open port-State-control, flag, sanctions and our own vessel data; weight it by the coverage above.
Commercial
Price it in the Route Planner between any two commercial ports: ballast and laden legs, two fuels at live bunker prices, port and canal costs, the weather on the way, and the TCE set against the market.
Fleet Management

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