Caught on cam: Tugboats tow BC Ferries vessel to dock after breakdown

A traveller who was stranded aboard a BC Ferries vessel travelling between Horseshoe Bay and Nanaimo, B.C., captured video footage of two tugboats guiding the vessel into Departure Bay.

The ferry, the Queen of Oak Bay, was about 10 minutes away from Departure Bay on Wednesday night when it suffered a mechanical breakdown with its steering gear.

What's normally a 90-minute trip turned into a five-hour ordeal, with the ship that was scheduled to arrive around 9:45 p.m. instead docking around 1 a.m.

"The engine slowed down right around 10 [p.m.], and then there was an announcement around 10:15," said passenger Karen Kuwica, adding that the vessel already departed about 30 minutes late from Horseshoe Bay.

"The first announcement was that there was a mechanical issue that was being looked into and that they would update us," she said.

Updates would continue to come, according to Kuwica, with the crew later saying that there was a "hydraulic failure" with one of the ship's rudders, preventing the crew from steering.

Kuwica says communication from the staff was "excellent" during the ordeal, and that passengers were later offered free drinks.

TUGS CALLED IN

Kuwica says two tugboats were brought in to help assist the ship, which was adrift.

Despite having no steering control, the passenger says everyone aboard the ship remained calm, if a bit frustrated.

"We were in the wide open, never got close to anything," she said. "There was no panic or distress."

Once the tugboats arrived, Kuwica says crew members tried to fix the rudder manually before towing the Queen of Oak Bay to shore.

"The tugs were so impressive," she said. "The crews were total pros. They were maneuvering those massive vessels with such finesse."

She says the ferry eventually powered itself back on and it appeared the tugboats were mostly there to guide the ship rather than pull it.

FERRY CANCELLATIONS

The travel disruptions continued into Thursday, with the Queen of Oak Bay still in need of repairs.

The Queen of Coquitlam vessel also cancelled sailings Thursday, "due to a delay in the Queen of Surrey's return to service after their annual refit," says BC Ferries.

The cancelled sailings – all between Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay, and Langdale and Horseshoe Bay – can be found below:

• 6:15 am departing Horseshoe Bay
• 7:25 am departing Departure Bay for Horseshoe Bay
• 8:25 am departing Departure Bay
• 9:40 am departing Horseshoe Bay for Departure Bay
• 10:40 am departing Horseshoe Bay
• 12:00 pm departing Departure Bay for Horseshoe Bay
• 1:00 pm departing Departure Bay
• 2:40 pm departing Horseshoe Bay for Langdale
• 3:50 pm departing Langdale for Horseshoe Bay
• 5:05 pm departing Horseshoe Bay for Departure Bay

In March, BC Ferries had warned that crew shortages may also cause travel disruptions this summer.

With files from The Canadian Press