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BC Ferries asks the public to name new ferries and hilarity insues

BC Ferries asks the public to name new ferries and hilarity insues

BC Ferries is about to introduce three new Intermediate Class Ferries. To celebrate these additions to the fleet, BC Ferries and its CEO Mike Corrigan are asking the public to name them.

“We think a ferry’s name is important because it is a reflection of who we are as a province and the culture we all share. Opening the naming of our ferries to the public and to our employees is an opportunity to engage everyone in this historic event,” Corrigan said in a statement.

“So please think creatively. Consider the beauty of our coast and the important role our ferries play in reliably and safely transporting people and goods along our coastal waters,” he added.

And “think creatively” the people did.

On BC Ferries’ Facebook page, disgruntled customers — the struggling company has been cutting costs and increasing fares — used the contest to let off some steam.

Needless to say, we don’t see a winner in the bunch.

Some of the witty suggestions so far:

  • Queen of No Other Choice

  • The Spirit of Unfettered Capitalism

  • Queen of the Cash Cow

  • Queen of Transit Monopoly

  • Coastal Community Collapse

  • Spirit of Delays

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And of course, someone had to suggest Millennium Falcon.

Read the long list of sarcastic suggestions here. And read VancityBuzz’s list of their 25 favourite naming suggestions here.

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Winning entries will be awarded $500 in ferry travel, or, as one tweeter mocked, “almost enough to go somewhere on BC Ferries!”

According to the official contest rules and guidelines, the following naming tips should be taken into account — something most commenters failed to do:

  • Names should reflect BC Ferries and the coastal communities it serves

  • Names should appeal to both residents and visitors

  • Names should be gender neutral and easy to spell

  • Names should not be geography specific or reference an individual or event

  • Names should not contain symbols or accent marks

  • Names should not contain words currently used within a BC Ferries vessel name or vessel class name (i.e. QUEEN, SPIRIT, ISLAND, etc.)

Find the list of current vessels here.

The contest ends on June 9.