Crew illness, global shortage of mariners blamed for cancelled BC Ferries sailings
The president and CEO of BC Ferries is blaming the cancellation of two sailings between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland on an unfortunate coincidence and a global shortage of experienced mariners.
The provincial ferry operator cancelled a pair of sailings on the Queen of New Westminster on Wednesday evening, citing a shortage of staff.
In a statement to CTV News Vancouver Island on Thursday, the company's president and CEO Mark Collins elaborated on the precise cause of the shortage.
"BC Ferries cancelled two sailings of the Queen of New Westminster Wednesday evening due to unavailability of three ship’s officers due to non-COVID related illness," Collins said.
Typically, in such situations, the ferry service would call on members of its pool of extra crew members, according to Collins.
"For many years, as a normal part of its business, BC Ferries has retained extra crew to mitigate the risk of loss of service due to crewing absences," he said. "In this case, the three individuals were at the same location, making it challenging to find enough replacements on short notice."
Exacerbating the problem is a global shortage of experienced mariners, Collins said.
"We are actively recruiting for approximately 60 officer and 50 other key positions to create even greater redundancy in the system," he said. "Unfortunately, the global shortage means qualified mariners are very difficult to find."
All of the passengers who had reserved space on the two cancelled sailings have now been accommodated on alternate sailings, Collins said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man books $7,700 luxury villa on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he was charged more than $7,700 to book a luxury villa on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.