Ogden Point is a deep water port facility in Victoria, British Columbia. It is a major destination for cruise ships. There is also a heliport located there, which has service to Seattle, Vancouver, and the Vancouver International Airport. It is the eastern entrance point into Victoria Harbour.
Contents |
Ogden Point was named after Peter Skene Ogden (1790–1854), who was a prominent trader and explorer for the Hudson's Bay Company.[2] The piers at Ogden Point were built in the early twentieth century by the city of Victoria in anticipation of a growth in shipping due the opening of the Panama Canal.[3] In 1916 the US Hydrographic Office published a Coast Pilots guide that referred to the piers as the "Ocean Docks".[4] That edition of Coast Pilots also mentioned that the breakwater south of Pier A was under construction in 1915.[4] The breakwater was completed in 1916 and the piers were completed in 1918.[2] Later in the century Victoria Machinery Depot built some of the first vessels for BC Ferries and other customers in the 1960s using Ogden Point for the larger ships.[5]
In 2001 the Norwegian Sky arrived from Seattle, becoming the first weekly cruise vessel to call on Ogden Point.[2]
In 2008, Ogden Point saw the arrival of 202 cruise ships and in excess of 380,000 passengers. The cruise ship terminal is considered an in transit port as presently no ships are home ported (embarked or disembarked) at this facility. In 2008 the facility was extensively rebranded in the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority's red, grey and black colour scheme.
In 2009 Ogden Point saw the arrival of 228 cruise ships from a variety of cruise lines including Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Crystal Cruises as well as ResidenSea. These calls brought over 400,000 guests to the city of Victoria between April 23 and October 14, 2009[6].
The 12-hectare (30-acre) port facility has two finger piers designated Pier A (to the south) and Pier B (to the north).[7] Berths on each pier are designated North and South. South A extends for 1,000 feet (300 m), the other three berths extend for 800 feet (240 m). Each berth can accommodate a vessel with a draft in excess of 10 metres (33 ft) at low tide.[7] Although four berths exist a maximum of three ships can be accommodated in port at any one time due to the close proximity of North A and South B. Canada Border Services Agency facilities are located at each pier. Pier A also houses a 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) warehouse, complete with cable ship spooling apparatus and cable storage facility.
Cruise ships calling at Ogden Point's Cruise Ship Terminal usually provide shore excursions for passengers and this may include tours of the Butchart Gardens, city tours, visits to Craigdarroch Castle, pub tours, Empress Hotel afternoon tea, whale watching, and horse drawn trolley tours.
During the cruise season, services to guests include a shuttle bus service operated by CVS Cruise Victoria to provide guests an alternative to the 30 minute walk to downtown Victoria.[8] Public buses (#30/31) stop along Dallas Street on their way to downtown Victoria. Taxi cabs and limousines are also available onsite.
Western Stevedoring is under contract from the GVHA to manage the facility and Cruise Terminal.[7]
The Camel Point heliport (ICAO code CBF7) is operated by Pacific Heliport Services and is located just northeast of Pier B at 48°25′05″N 123°23′16″W / 48.41806°N 123.38778°W.[9][10]
   | BCGNIS - BCGNIS Geographical Name Details |
| | Greater Victoria Harbour Authority - Greater Victoria Harbour Authority |
|
|
Wikis
Map
Search
