B.C. Ferries cancels 35 sailings due to mechanical issues
60-year-old Queen of New Westminster vessel pulled from service Tuesday
B.C. Ferries has cancelled 35 sailings on its busy Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen route through Sunday due to mechanical issues.
The operator says there is a mechanical difficulty with the main engine's propulsion system on the 60-year-old Queen of New Westminster, which was pulled from service Tuesday.
Spokesperson Jeff Groot told CBC News that the issue both slowed down the vessel and made it unsafe for regular sailings.
B.C. Ferries has added two sailings for Wednesday evening — one departing Swartz Bay and one departing Tsawwassen — on another vessel to assist with traffic volumes.
Groot said there is availability on "a number of other vessels" for travellers needing to go between the mainland and Vancouver Island.
"The loss of any ship is a challenge for us," he said. "Last year was a record year. This summer was a new record for us. People are looking to travel more and more on the ferry and it's our responsibility now to make sure that we have the ships in place to be able to keep up."
B.C. Ferries says customers affected by the cancellations will be notified if they can be moved to an alternative sailing or if their booking must be cancelled.
Customers will be refunded in the case of a cancellation, according to B.C. Ferries.
B.C. Ferries vessels have experienced various mechanical issues causing cancellations in the past. In early 2024, it announced it was taking steps to ensure all vessels would be set to sail successfully this summer — after the 2023 season was plagued with cancellations.
The ferry operator said it planned to do annual repairs within a shorter timeframe and would replace problematic rotors in three of its vessels in an attempt to avoid cancellations during the peak summer period.
Groot said the company is considering how to plan for the future as demand continues to increase.
"That means new ships, it means bigger ships and it also means adding to our fleet so that we're increasing the number of ships that we have on the route," he said.
Last fall B.C. Ferries issued a request for expressions of interest to build up to seven new vessels. At the time, the contract was expected to be awarded by December 2024.
With files from Amelia John