'Crewing issue' prompts cancellation, reinstatement of BC Ferries sailings

A pair of BC Ferries sailings between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland were briefly cancelled, then reinstated Sunday afternoon as provincial ferry service continues to deal with crew shortages.

Around 2:30 p.m., BC Ferries announced that it had cancelled a round-trip sailing of the Queen of Coquitlam between Departure Bay in Nanaimo and Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver "due to a crewing issue."

"We require a specific number of crew members on board the vessel to ensure the safety of our passengers in the unlikely event of an emergency and to comply with Transport Canada regulations," the company said in a service notice at the time.

"Our Customer Service Centre will contact customers with bookings on these cancelled sailings to let them know that their booking must be cancelled and refunded."

The 5:25 p.m. sailing leaving Departure Bay and the 7:30 p.m. return trip leaving Horseshoe Bay were cancelled, BC Ferries said.

Less than 30 minutes later, just before 3 p.m., the company announced that the crewing issue had been resolved and the sailings had been reinstated.

Reservations on the cancelled sailings were not reinstated, however. The vessels will sail on a first-come, first-served basis, according to BC Ferries.

"We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you," the company said in an updated service notice.

The afternoon cancellations were the second crew-related issue the Queen of Coquitlam faced Sunday. Earlier in the day, the 11:15 a.m. sailing from Departure Bay left 61 minutes late because of what BC Ferries described as a "crewing issue."

The provincial ferry service says it has hired 850 people since January and is looking to hire roughly 160 more as it prepares for the busy summer season. The company has been offering signing bonuses of up to $10,000 for some positions. 

Ongoing crew shortages have prompted the cancellation of sailings in recent months, as vehicle traffic on the ferry system approaches its pre-pandemic heights.