At the time of their building, the three ships were the largest double-ended ferries in the world, however the record has since been surpassed.

[5] The ships are powered by four 8-cylinder MaK 8M32C diesel engines driving two 11 MW (15,000 hp) electric motors turning two controllable pitch propellers.

[10] The class has a capacity of 1,604 passengers and crew and 2,001 metres (6,565 ft) lane space for 310 full-sized family vehicles.

According to BC Ferries at this time, this was 40 percent lower than the lowest Canadian shipyard's bid.

[12] The first new Coastal-class vessel, Coastal Renaissance, departed for British Columbia on October 27, 2007, and arrived on December 13, 2007.

[16] 16 were injured in the collision and the bow door, the starboard side shell, and the rubbing plate on the ship were damaged.

[17] Coastal Inspiration was then redirected to the Departure Bay terminal with the assistance of a tugboat to disembark passengers and vehicles.

[17] In August 2023, Coastal Renaissance suffered an issue with her drive motor, and the vessel was removed from service for extensive repairs.