A number of BC Ferries sailings at terminals across Vancouver Island have been cancelled Friday due to high winds.
As of 11 a.m., BC Ferries has cancelled the 11 a.m. sailing from Tsawwassen to Victoria and the 1 p.m. departure from Swartz Bay to Vancouver.
Meanwhile, sailings to and from Nanaimo have been cancelled, with the 10:40 a.m. sailing from Departure Bay and 1 p.m. departure from Horseshoe Bay seeing cancellations.
As of 11:30 a.m., BC Ferries announced additional cancellations, including the 12 p.m. sailing from Swartz Bay and the 2 p.m. exiting from Tsawwassen.
By 1:20 p.m., the next available departure from Swartz Bay for vehicles was the 7 p.m. sailing. That sailing, however, was already over 70 per cent full.
As of 3 p.m., BC Ferries had cancelled sailings from Victoria to Vancouver up to 5 p.m. According to the organization, all vehicel space on the Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen route is full for the remainder of the day.
"The safety of our passengers and crew is of primary importance to us," said BC Ferries in a service update Friday.
"We don’t take the decision to cancel sailings lightly, as we know customers rely on us to get to their destinations. We will resume service as soon as it is safe to do so."
According to Environment Canada, high winds are predicted to sweep across southern Vancouver Island all day.
At roughly 8:30 a.m., the national weather agency issued a wind warning for the Greater Victoria region, with westerly gusts reaching up to 70 km/h to 90 km/h.
For the latest BC Ferries updates, visit the organization's website here.
