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”’Hullo”’, officially the ”’Vancouver Island Ferry Company”’, is a privately owned [[passenger ferry]] service in the Canadian province of [[British Columbia]]. It operates up to 6 daily sailings between downtown [[Vancouver]] and downtown [[Nanaimo]] on [[Vancouver Island]]. Each one-way trip takes around 75 minutes.<ref name=”:0” />
”’Hullo”’, officially the Vancouver Island Ferry Company, is a privately owned [[passenger ferry]] service in the Canadian province of [[British Columbia]]. It operates between downtown [[Vancouver]] and downtown [[Nanaimo]] on [[Vancouver Island]]. one-way trip 75 minutes.<ref name=”:” />
History
History
Passenger ferry service in Canada
Hullo, officially the Vancouver Island Ferry Company (VIFC), is a privately owned passenger ferry service in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It operates between downtown Vancouver and downtown Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Since its launch in August 2023, the service has expanded to offer up to seven daily round trips, with each one-way trip taking approximately 75 minutes.[1] In late 2025, the company announced it had served over one million total passengers.[2]
History
The Vancouver Island Ferry Company (VIFC), operating under the brand name Hullo, was founded in 2022 with majority funding from InfraRed Capital Partners. It is the fifth venture to attempt a high-speed passenger-only service between Nanaimo and Vancouver, following previous efforts such as HarbourLynx, which ceased operations in 2006.[1]
The service officially launched on August 16, 2023. After reaching 400,000 passengers by its first anniversary, the company experienced a 40% year-over-year growth rate in its second year. In late 2025, Hullo announced it had surpassed one million total passengers since inception.[2]
A significant driver of this growth was the introduction of specialized “late-night event sailings” for concerts and sporting events at Rogers Arena and BC Place, allowing Vancouver Island residents to return home the same night.[3]
On November 18, 2025, the company appointed Ryan Dermody as permanent Chief Executive Officer. Dermody, a former Royal Navy officer and former Vice-President at the Port of Montreal, had served as interim CEO since May 2025. His leadership has focused on “operational discipline” and service reliability following the service’s initial launch phase.[4] Dermody is also an advocate for veteran mental health, receiving the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation in 2024 for his philanthropic work with the Maple Leaf Trust and the University of Toronto’s Department of Psychiatry.[5]
Community Initiatives and Partnerships
Hullo maintains several strategic partnerships focused on social impact and regional economic development:
• Coco Cafe: The company partnered with Coco Cafe, a Cedar-based non-profit social enterprise that provides employment for people with developmental disabilities, to supply fresh food for its onboard menu.[6]
• First Nations Relations: Hullo operates through a long-term partnership with the Snuneymuxw First Nation, which includes collaboration on terminal land use and cultural representation. Its vessels were named in the Hul̓q̓umín̓um̓ language to honor the traditional territory.[7]
• Accessibility Advocacy: Following community consultation, Hullo successfully advocated to Transport Canada for an exemption to the High Speed Craft Code, allowing passengers to remain in their power wheelchairs for the duration of the crossing—a first for high-speed craft in the region.[8]
Vessels
The company’s two vessels, spuhéls (wind) and sthuqi’ (Sockeye salmon), are Damen-built Fast Ferry 4212 high-speed catamarans. They seat 354 passengers each and have a top speed of 40 knots (74 km/h).[9] The vessels feature three classes of service: Comfort, Premium, and Business, and are designed to be fully accessible to passengers with mobility devices.
The company’s two vessels were manufactured in Vietnam and delivered in June 2023.[10] They are both Damen-built Fast Ferry 4212 models,[11] high-speed catamarans that seat 354 passengers each and have a top speed of 40 knots (74 km/h).[12]
They are named spuhéls and sthuqi’, meaning wind and Sockeye salmon in the Hul̓q̓umín̓um̓ language used by the Snuneymuxw First Nation on Vancouver Island.
The vessels do not accommodate electric bicycles due to battery fire regulations, but do allow electric wheelchairs after Hullo secured an exemption.[13][14]
- ^ a b https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/new-high-speed-ferry-service-between-nanaimo-and-vancouver-to-launch-this-summer-6878441 New high-speed ferry service between Nanaimo and Vancouver to launch this summer – Times Colonist Cite error: The named reference “Founding” was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b https://hullo.com/about/travel-with-ease/ Travel with Ease: 1 Million Guests – Hullo.com Cite error: The named reference “1Million” was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Hullo ferry service offering late night sailings for concerts and Canucks games – Victoria Buzz
- ^ Hullo ferries announces new CEO – Nanaimo News Bulletin
- ^ Ryan Dermody – Veterans Affairs Canada
- ^ Bakery Boost: B.C. cafe scores contract with Hullo – CTV News
- ^ Partnerships with Snuneymuxw First Nation – Hullo.com
- ^ Smooth Sailing: Hullo Ferries’ Accessibility Journey – Spinal Cord Injury BC
- ^ Hullo announces vessel names – Nanaimo News Bulletin
- ^ Chan, Cheryl (June 9, 2023). “New passenger ferry between Nanaimo and Vancouver will begin sailing early August”. Vancouver Sun. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ^ “The two Damen 4212 class arrived in Vancouver”. Ferry Shipping News. June 30, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ “Fast Ferry 4212 with 40 knots max speed | Damen”. www.damen.com. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ Judd, Amy; Ke, Grace (October 9, 2023). “‘It’s 2023’: B.C. woman shocked Hullo Ferries doesn’t allow motorized wheelchairs”. Global News. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
- ^ Wood, Lydia (2025-03-24). “Smooth Sailing: Hullo Ferries’ Accessibility Journey – Spinal Cord Injury BC”. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
