After several months of steady increases in the price of fuel, BC Ferries has announced that it will be reinstating fuel surcharges on June 1 on most of its routes.The northern routes between Skidegate and Prince Rupert and Prince Rupert and Port Hardy will not have the fuel surcharge added at this time.BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall said the provincial government made a public policy decision to exempt the two northern routes, as well as the Horseshoe Bay-Langdale route, from the fuel surcharge. The provincial government will be paying BC Ferries an extra amount to cover that.The surcharge will be 5 percent on the minor routes, including Skidegate-Alliford Bay, and 2.5 percent on the three major routes between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.For Kwuna passengers, the surcharge will add $1 per normal-sized vehicle, 40 cents per adult and 20 cents per child to the cost of the regular fare.It's not the first time BC Ferries has added an extra charge because of rising fuel prices. The last surcharge was implemented in 2008, Ms Marshall said, and was followed by a rebate when fuel prices fell.According to BC Ferries, the company has reduced its consumption of fuel - the ferries use marine diesel - by 4 percent since 2003. During that same time, annual fuel costs have jumped from $46-million to a projected $120-million for 2011-12.Copyright 2011 Haida Gwaii OBSERVER