Hi there... interesting bit of history on this one... It was not really a brand new ferry, but rather they bought the MV John Atlantic Burr from Lake Powell in Utah (built 1985) cut it into four pieces, trucked it to Seattle, loaded it onto a barge then up to Vancouver where it was widened with an extra vehicle lane down the middle and significantly modified into what is now the MV Kuper. Seems surprising but not for BC Ferries... they have been significantly increasing the sise of many of their vessels since the late 1960's.

MV Kuper
Formerly MV John Atlantic Burr
Built: 1985, Bullfrog, Utah
Rebuilt: 2006, Vancouver, British Columbia
Length: 52.21 m (171'3.5)
Power: TBA
Service Speed: TBA
Gross Tonnage: 537
Car Capacity: 32
Passenger & Crew Capacity: 300
Route: Chemainus ↔ Thetis Island ↔ Kuper Island