BC Ferries is looking to replace some of its aging vessels — and Premier John Horgan says he'd like to see some of the work done in the province.

The operator put out its call for project proposals on Tuesday for the design and technical support services for five double-ended passenger ferries.

The vessels would replace the C-class ships in the BC Ferries fleet, which were built between 1976 and 1981 and usually service the Duke Point-Tsawwassen, Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay-Langdale routes.

BC Ferries vice-president Mark Wilson says the average age of the fleet is 31 years and 10-15 new ships will be needed over the next 10-15 years.

BC Ferries is aiming to have the first new vessel launched by 2024. This first contract would not include the construction of the vessels.

Work could be done in B.C.

In recent years, under B.C. Liberal governments, new ferries have been built in Europe, but Wilson says this time the hope is that some of the work can be done in B.C.

"As a customer, we're working very, very closely with industry here to do what we can to make sure we get as much Canadian content in these vessels. And also to encourage industry as a customer to participate in this process," he said.

The C-class ferries are double-ended, meaning they have a ramp at both ends and don't have to turn around to reverse direction. (Chuck Stoody/The Canadian Press)

Horgan agrees and says the province will look at BC Ferries' request for bids — but the infrastructure to build the large ships no longer exists in B.C.

"We'll take a look at that over the summer and see what we can do to effect positive outcome for B.C. workers again ... The benefits to the community of having shipbuilding jobs in a maritime province are significant," he said.

Fast ferries remembered

The last large ferries to be constructed in B.C. were the ill-fated fast ferries, which were built under Glen Clark's NDP government in the late 1990s.

The vessels, which cost the B.C. government about $450 million to build, were supposed to provide speedy service between Vancouver and Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.

But the vessels were taken out of service after being plagued by mechanical problems and concerns about the large wake they caused.

The PacifiCat ferries cost the B.C. government about $450 million to build in the late 1990s. ((CBC))

They were dry-docked for years by the subsequent B.C. Liberal government and later sold to the Washington Marine Group for about $19 million.

They were eventually resold to the Abu Dhabi Mar, a yacht-building company based in the United Arab Emirates.

But there is some shipbuilding being done on the West Coast.

Currently the Washington Marine Group is building some ships in North Vancouver as part of a federal government shipbuilding project.