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The 73-metre expedition ship National Geographic Quest docked in Steveston last week.
Photo courtesy @stevestonlife
Steveston could be destined to become port of call
Best known today as an active fishing
harbour, Steveston could also soon be destined to become a port of call for
small to medium cruise ships.
The $48M state-of-the-art expedition ship
National Geographic Quest is carrying out what City of Richmond spokesperson
Ted Townsend described as “kind of a test run” to see if Steveston fits the
bill.
The 73-metre-long ship docked in Steveston on
Thursday (Sept. 21) and is expected to return Oct. 5. Townsend confirmed there
were passengers that disembarked upon arrival and boarded prior to departure
last week.
“As I understand it, this was a shorter,
re-positioning cruise that comes at the end of their summer season in Alaska,”
he said. “In previous years, they had used Granville Island as their local port
of call, but that location is no longer available to them, so they’re looking
at Steveston as a possible ongoing destination.”
Townsend said such an opportunity is “certainly
in keeping with the kind of long-term vision when the city developed the
wharfs.”
Not only did the development of the wharfs,
dating back to about 2011, allow for hosting special events like Ships to Shore
and support other recreational opportunities on the water, but also could
potentially help attract more tourists, he said.
“This is something that was always thought of
as a potential use, and this is an opportunity to explore that further and
hopefully create some ongoing new tourist traffic from the water,” Townsend
said.
“Steveston is a popular tourist destination
and in the cruise industry there are lots of different levels. It’s not all
about huge boats going to Alaska,” he said. “There are smaller and mid-sized
ships always looking for new experiences in this region for their clientele and
it was always felt (Steveston) had the potential for that market. Now somebody
is taking a closer look at the potential to see if the logistics are there.”
The National Geographic Quest is a purpose-built
vessel, and one of the newest additions to the National Geographic-Lindblad
Expeditions fleet. Built near Seattle, it is made for exploring coastal waters.
It was designed to navigate narrow inlets and wildlife-rich passageways
inaccessible to larger ships. The smaller ship still comfortably accommodates
100 guests in 50 outside cabins.
The National Geographic Quest brings
travellers to B.C. and Alaska in the summer, before heading south in the winter
to navigate the waters of Central America.
Started in 1999, National Geographic
Expeditions operates hundreds of trips each year, spanning all seven continents
and more than 80 destinations. As part of the National Geographic Travel group,
it aims to fulfill the National Geographic Society’s mission to inspire people
to care about the planet by providing meaningful opportunities to explore.
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