The man accused of unfastening a life raft before jumping off a BC Ferries vessel in Active Pass could be on the hook for $40,000 in damages.
BC Ferries says it wants to recover the sizeable amount of money for fuel and overtime costs for workers who were aboard the Coastal Celebration on Nov. 4, as well as damage to the life raft.
“The raft can be repaired, but there was some damage to it,” said BC Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall. “That $40,000 was just to BC Ferries alone, so that doesn’t include the cost of the hovercraft, certainly RCMP were involved, Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.”
The man jumped overboard after launching one of the ship’s inflatable life rafts, and searchers spent around an hour looking for him.
He was later reported to police by a Galiano Island resident after he allegedly broke into a property while he was wet and naked.
Mounties have recommended charges of mischief and break and enter, and the man could also face federal charges including tampering with life-saving equipment.
Marshall said the man is also facing a lifetime ban from BC Ferries vessels.
No charges have been laid so far.
