BC Ferries vessel to take longer route between Vancouver and Victoria due to mechanical issue

BC Ferries is warning that one of its vessels that travels between Vancouver and Victoria will take longer to reach its destination starting Sunday.

The delay is due to a mechanical issue aboard the Coastal Celebration vessel.

Instead of travelling through Active Pass, the Coastal Celebration will detour south of it, which is expected to extend the trip by about 15 minutes.

"Changes are being made out of an abundance of caution as engineers have identified an issue with one of the drive motors on the Coastal Celebration," said BC Ferries in a release Wednesday.

"Safety is BC Ferries' number one priority and the vessel is safe to operate with the mitigation measures the company is taking."

BC Ferries notes that the Coastal Celebration only operates supplemental sailings between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay. All primary sailings on the route, which depart about every two hours between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily, will continue to sail as usual.

In total, about 90 sailings are expected to be affected by the Coastal Celebration detour.

"BC Ferries knows customers’ time is valuable and apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause."

The Coastal Celebration was built in 2008 and has a maximum capacity of 310 cars and 1,604 passengers and crew.

The ferry measures 160 metres long and has a maximum speed of 23 knots.