BC Ferries launched its new northern vessel, the Northern Expedition, last Thursday at a special ceremony at FSG Shipyards in Germany. The brand new 150-metre ship will accommodate 130 vehicles and 600 passengers. The Northern Expedition has 55 staterooms, a café, a restaurant, a TV-watching lounge and another lounge with reserved seating. The ship is set to depart from Germany at the end of January. Once it arrives and is ready to start cruising northern waters, BC Ferries will retire the 42-year-old Queen of Prince Rupert. The Northern Expedition will serve the Port Hardy-Prince Rupert route. The Northern Adventure will then become the regular vessel on the Rupert-Skidegate route. Dock modifications to accommodate the new ship are currently underway at Port Hardy, Prince Rupert, Bella Bella and Skidegate, and will be complete early next year.