Update: Story adds a comment from the B.C. Ferry Commission
While a ferry servicing Duke Point and Tsawwassen was expected to return to service Easter Sunday, it was quickly shelved again due to further mechanical issues.
Sailings for the Queen of Surrey were cancelled on April 2-3, as it was determined the vessel required additional work after regularly scheduled refitting, but an estimated return did not go as planned, Akriti Tyagi, B.C. Ferries spokesperson, told the News Bulletin in an e-mail.
“The Queen of Surrey re-entered service on Sunday, April 5 … Early that morning, however, crews identified a mechanical issue with the vessel’s steering panel, and it was taken out of service,” Tyagi said. “Our engineering teams are working to address the issue as quickly as possible.”
It is not known when the vessel will begin transporting passengers again, but Tyagi said B.C. Ferries prioritizes passenger safety and “the vessel will not return to service until [it is] confident it is safe to do so.”
B.C. Ferries had plans to help mitigate such situations, but they did not come to fruition.
“This is exactly why we applied to the B.C. Ferry commissioner to build a fifth new major vessel, which could provide additional relief in moments like this,” Tyagi said in the e-mail. “That proposal wasn’t approved, and decisions on fleet expansion aren’t within our control, but we’ll continue to advocate for it. Without that extra vessel, our ability to absorb disruptions like this is limited.”
In an April 9 statement, the B.C. Ferry Commission said if approval had been granted, the ferry would not have been in service until 2031 and would not have alleviated the weekend’s sailing problems.
Further, it said it did not approve another vessel as it was not supportable due to B.C. Ferries’ current financial situation.
At an April 2 press conference, Stephen Jones, B.C. Ferries vice-president of engineering, detailed the issues that led to the April 2-3 cancellations.
“Part of that work was to replace the propulsion control systems on that vessel, as well as the steering control systems,” Jones told the News Bulletin. “Now in commissioning, issues have been found with a couple of the items on the steering system, which are being run to ground … we did all we could to mitigate potential issues, to prioritize the work and drive the work through.”
While service was disrupted April 5, regular Duke Point-Tsawwassen service has since returned.
Tyagi said B.C. Ferries appreciates customers’ patience, as it works to resolve the issue.