The Tyee reported yesterday that 11 out of 36 households living near the Departure Bay ferry terminal in Nanaimo said they were disturbed by noise from the new ferry.

The survey was conducted last April and recently released to The Tyee by Kelly Franklin, who lives in the area. Some of the people surveyed live as far as a couple kilometres from the terminal, while others are much closer. And while some said they didn't want complaints to cause B.C. Ferries to move the new vessels to another route, others had serious concerns about noise and vibrations.

Franklin said he shared the information with B.C. Ferries, which sent out technicians to measure the noise but did not report back to the neighbours. "I've never heard back from them. I've never heard from them at all." The noise continues, he said.

Franklin removed names and identifying information from people's comments before sharing them with The Tyee. Here's what people had to say:

* “We are definitely disturbed by the noise of the new ferry. The first sailing at 6:30 am on Sunday mornings, in particular, is bothersome. The ferry, when it starts up, makes a low, rumbling noise that can wake my partner and me from an otherwise very sound sleep.”

* “I noticed that the ferry seems to sound its horn more times in a row than it used to; however, the noise doesn't bother me.”

* “Oh for Pete's sake!!! There will always be complainers. Sure we can hear it but it's not like a jet taking off!! We love it and don't mind the noise at all.”

* “We love the new ferries and live in Cilaire. We have discussed that the noises from the new ferries are slightly different than the old ferries, so may be noticed more initially. We would be unhappy if complaints from our neighbourhood association were to cause the new ferries to be moved to another route so please proceed with caution.”

* “We are on Loat just above Departure Bay Rd. We love the sound of the ferry - everything from the thrumming of the engines to that very German sounding horn! Although we can hear it, it certainly isn't a problem for us.”

* “We are very disturbed by noise from the new ferry (ferries) . . . Our particular concern, as I am sure it is with others, is the fact that that we have to endure this disturbance from 6:00am until long after the last sailing - whenever Coastal Thunder is here. It is turning the entire Departure Bay basin into an industrial noise area.”

* “This is absolutely not true as far as I am concerned and I live right on [Departure Bay], the ferry comes right past my house and I have never heard any noise!!!”

* “We live in Seascape manor on Departure Bay Road. We were getting some window rattling for a while as the new ferry came and went but it seems to have stopped for the last couple of weeks.”

* “We are on the waterfront in Cilaire about a kilometer away from the terminal. The new ferries are definitely much louder than the old ones. We can at times feel vibrations from the engines that make our house doors rattle and on one occasion - while the ferry was revving up its engines as it sat at the dock - the noise was almost as loud as that of a helicopter. Perhaps these incidences will diminish when they finish testing the newly arrived ferry.”

* “Ferry noise has been bothering me very much . . . Our neighbor took it up with the purser on the new boat and I gather they are sensitive to it but it is an issue with the disel engines and the shutdown routine. The ferry corp seems to be taking the position the natives will eventually get used to the noise and not be an issue.”

* “If the new ferry's were a little noisier (which they aren't), what could be done about it anyway? Their not going to give away the new ferry's after spending billions of dollars on them because some people think they are a little nosier!?”

* “Yes, the noise from the new ferry disturbs me; but only when it is in port; the morning rumble wakes me up and the evening rumble keeps me up; I recently traveled on the first sailing and the vibration was unbelievable in the boat . . . They have somewhat abated the noise level while traveling since inception and I am grateful as our whole house vibrated when they came in; I had a concern about the disturbance of the soil stability but that issue doesn’t seem to be an issue now.”

* “The new ferry (when the wind is just right) actually makes my plate glass window vibrate. Yes! The noise of the new ferry when it is sittting running in port is disturbing.”

* “There is a major issue with low frequency and infrasound emanating from the new ferries, giving rise to concerns about potential structural damage to dwellings and the soil stability but also annoying harmonic effects within the dwellings. There has been some physical damage already and there may be more which is not yet detected. BCFC is well aware of the problem and are conducting a series of measurements which will quantify the frequency range, the vibration effects, and potential seismic response of the bank.

"A number of the homeowners on White Eagle Terrace as well as myself have maintained contact with BCFC personnel to monitor progress. I have personally supplied BCFC with several months of observations on the response to different operating modes as well as a literature survey on the effects of low frequency sound commissioned by the UK Govt. I have also started canvassing the neighbourhood to determine the extent of the area experiencing the problem. I don’t know where or how this thing will go from here but have stressed that time is of the essence. I believe for now BCFC is taking the matter seriously and acting with diligence.”

* “My concern is the audible and very uncomfortable noise emanating from the new ferry. I live on the waterfront opposite the Departure Bay Terminal and behind Brandon Island (close to the biological station). . . . The new ferry emits a very annoying low-decibel sound, which at times rattles our windows. This sound continues when the ferry sits in the dock, even late at night, long after its final sailing. It begins again around 6 a.m. when the ferry is started up for the day. I have no idea what's involved but I do know none of the other ferries has ever generated a comparable sound -- so it is unique to the new ferry.

“I'm left wondering how such a flaw could have gotten through the design stages and construction, given all the publicity the corporation generated about its staff on-site in Germany checking every detail.”

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.