It's happened again.BC Ferries has experienced yet another weekend of delays and cancellations.Staffing shortages and mechanical errors impacted numerous routes, forcing hundreds of passengers to wait hours, or make alternate arrangements..The issues began Saturday with a number of delays. The 12:00 p.m. PST sailing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, for example, left 52 minutes late due to a "mechanical issue with the engine on one end of the vessel." Three hours later, the 2:50 p.m. PST sailing from Swartz Bay to Sturdies Bay was 40 minutes behind schedule due to "earlier crewing shortages.".The issues continued into Sunday, with BC Ferries announcing via X at 8 a.m. PST that 11 sailings on the Port McNeill-Alert Bay-Sointula route "must be cancelled" due to "unanticipated crew absences." A complimentary water-taxi service was set up to shuttle passengers between the three harbours until regular service resumed.Just half an hour later, it was revealed that there was a "mechanical difficulty" with the main engine of a vessel later identified as the Coastal Celebration, and that as a result, certain sailing on one of the busiest routes had been cancelled.According to the Times Colonist, a spokesperson for BC Ferries explained that water had leaked into the engine. The problem was quickly diagnosed and fixed in time for the 2 p.m. PST sailing.Many of the sailings that were not cancelled were heavily delayed. The 12 p.m. EST from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen, for example, left 87 minutes behind schedule, while the 2 p.m. PST in the opposite direction was 2 hours and 13 minutes late. The 4 p.m. PST from Swartz Bay and 8 p.m. PST from Tsawwassen were also delayed.In 2023, BC Ferries saw an average of seven cancelled sailings per day, leading to outrage from customers and a fine from the government. A report from the BC Ferry Commission found that, "Progress has been made in Indigenous relations, while engagement with ferry dependent communities has deteriorated."Following a number of incidents at public meetings, the company was urged to do more to "make customers feel respected, heard and valued."While little has been done on that front, BC Ferries has moved to purchase new electric vessels from the Netherlands.
It's happened again.BC Ferries has experienced yet another weekend of delays and cancellations.Staffing shortages and mechanical errors impacted numerous routes, forcing hundreds of passengers to wait hours, or make alternate arrangements..The issues began Saturday with a number of delays. The 12:00 p.m. PST sailing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, for example, left 52 minutes late due to a "mechanical issue with the engine on one end of the vessel." Three hours later, the 2:50 p.m. PST sailing from Swartz Bay to Sturdies Bay was 40 minutes behind schedule due to "earlier crewing shortages.".The issues continued into Sunday, with BC Ferries announcing via X at 8 a.m. PST that 11 sailings on the Port McNeill-Alert Bay-Sointula route "must be cancelled" due to "unanticipated crew absences." A complimentary water-taxi service was set up to shuttle passengers between the three harbours until regular service resumed.Just half an hour later, it was revealed that there was a "mechanical difficulty" with the main engine of a vessel later identified as the Coastal Celebration, and that as a result, certain sailing on one of the busiest routes had been cancelled.According to the Times Colonist, a spokesperson for BC Ferries explained that water had leaked into the engine. The problem was quickly diagnosed and fixed in time for the 2 p.m. PST sailing.Many of the sailings that were not cancelled were heavily delayed. The 12 p.m. EST from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen, for example, left 87 minutes behind schedule, while the 2 p.m. PST in the opposite direction was 2 hours and 13 minutes late. The 4 p.m. PST from Swartz Bay and 8 p.m. PST from Tsawwassen were also delayed.In 2023, BC Ferries saw an average of seven cancelled sailings per day, leading to outrage from customers and a fine from the government. A report from the BC Ferry Commission found that, "Progress has been made in Indigenous relations, while engagement with ferry dependent communities has deteriorated."Following a number of incidents at public meetings, the company was urged to do more to "make customers feel respected, heard and valued."While little has been done on that front, BC Ferries has moved to purchase new electric vessels from the Netherlands.
