BC Ferries cancels sailings due to mechanical issues, high winds

Victoria -

BC Ferries cancelled and delayed more than 10 sailings on Wednesday due to adverse weather and a mechanical issues aboard a large vessel.

Eight sailings between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen were cancelled due to a mechanical problem aboard the Spirit of Vancouver Island, according to BC Ferries.

The company said the ship was "experiencing a problem with the starboard gearbox."

The mechanical failure caused the cancellation of the following eight sailings:

• 7:00 am departing Swartz Bay
• 9:00 am departing Tsawwassen
• 11:00 am departing Swartz Bay
• 1:00 pm departing Tsawwassen
• 3:00 pm departing Swartz Bay
• 5:00 pm departing Tsawwassen
• 7:00 pm departing Swartz Bay
• 9:00 pm departing Tsawwassen

BC Ferries says that the Coastal Celebration vessel will travel one additional roundtrip between Vancouver Island and Victoria on Wednesday to help offset the congestion caused by the cancelled sailings.

The Coastal Celebration will travel these evening hours on Wednesday:

• 8:00 pm departing Swartz Bay
• 10:00 pm departing Tsawwassen

MORE CANCELLATIONS AND DELAYS

Meanwhile, more BC Ferries routes saw sailing cancellations Wednesday because of adverse weather.

Two sailings between Tsawwassen and Duke Point were cancelled due to high winds:

• 9:15 pm departing Tsawwassen
• 12:15 am departing Duke Point

Four sailings between Comox and Powell River have been cancelled:

• 3:25 pm departing Comox
• 5:15 pm departing Powell River
• 7:10 pm departing Comox
• 8:45 pm departing Powell River

Two sailings between Whaletown and Heriot Bay were also cancelled Wednesday due to strong winds:

• 11:50 am departing Whaletown
• 1:05 pm departing Heriot Bay

Additionally, all remaining sailings aboard the Baynes Sound Connector have been cancelled Wednesday due to high winds.

DELAYS

Weather and other service disruptions have caused cascading delays for BC Ferries routes.

The Salish Raven, which travels from Metro Vancouver to the Southern Gulf Islands, is delayed due to "berth congestion at Tsawwassen," according to BC Ferries.

Similar delays are affecting Swartz Bay to Southern Gulf Islands routes, and the Quinsam - Nanaimo Harbour - Gabriola Island route as of early Wednesday afternoon.

BC Ferries says that anyone with reservations on any of the cancelled sailings will have their reservations refunded. Travellers can also continue to line up for the sailings that are still scheduled to depart today.

"We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience you may experience as a result of these cancellations," said BC Ferries in a notice posted Wednesday morning.

"We are working to resolve the issue, and we will keep you informed as soon as more information becomes available."

A sailing departing from Swartz Bay to Otter Bay was also delayed by roughly half an hour on Wednesday due to "accumulated delays associated with loading and unloading the vessel."

Around noon Wednesday, BC Ferries also had to contend with a power outage that affected operations in Swartz Bay.

The outage meant that BC Ferries had to wait to offload passengers because electricity is required to operate the terminal's ramps, setting the Coastal Celebration about an hour behind schedule. 

The latest service updates can be found on the BC Ferries website.