Several daily sailings between Duke Point and Tsawwassen cancelled until ferry's engine fixed

Approximately four ferry sailings per day between Vancouver Island and the mainland are cancelled until further notice due to a complicated ship engine failure.  

The cancellations, effective on all days except Tuesdays and Wednesdays, affect the route between Metro Vancouver's Tsawwassen terminal and Nanaimo's Duke Point terminal. 

On Thursday, the company announced that one of the Coastal Renaissance's motors had failed, leading to the cancellation of the 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. sailings from Duke Point terminal and the 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. sailings out of Tsawwassen.

Nicolas Jimenez, B.C. Ferries' president and chief executive officer, said on Friday during a news conference that he understands the disruption is "frustrating" and "will certainly create conflict" for some travellers.

The company is a crucial part of the province's infrastructure that connects the mainland and B.C.'s many island communities and receives public funding. These latest cancellations come amid a summer of chaotic ferry travel, with the company plagued by mechanical difficulties, last-minute cancellations, staffing shortages and confusion about the availability of reservations online. B.C. Premier David Eby weighed in on the issue in July, saying the repeat cancellations were unacceptable.

B.C. Ferries says it will be contacting customers who have reservations on the Duke Point and Tsawwassen sailings by both phone and email. Included in that notice will be information on how people can access B.C. Ferries' new priority phone queue. 

Karen Tindall, the director of customer care, says it will allow those with cancelled sailings to spend less time on hold and speak sooner with a customer service agent about rebooking.

"When they call in, they get priority," she said.

But that doesn't mean the company is guaranteeing it can rebook customers with vehicle reservations.

Jimenez and Tindall say that as per company policy, they will try to rebook customers to other sailings. If they can't be rebooked, they will receive a full refund. In both instances, customers will receive a complimentary voucher for future ferry travel with a vehicle.

More traffic expected at Horseshoe Bay 

As a result of the reduced sailings between Tsawwassen and Duke Point, the company is expecting a surge of car travellers to show up at Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver in an attempt to catch a boat from the mainland to Departure Bay, Nanaimo's other ferry terminal. 

"August is already a busy month," Jimenez said.

"Customers are now not going to Tsawassen ... and are taking their chances by coming out to Horseshoe Bay."

The West Vancouver Police Department will be on-site helping manage traffic above the ferry toll booths, and all booths will be open. But, Jimenez urges people not to travel without a reservation. 

"If you don't have a reservation, please don't come," he said.

For those who absolutely must travel, he encourages them to go as walk-on passengers or to try and carpool.

'Very complicated' engine issue

Jimenez says the engine issue is serious, and a specialist from the company that built the ship is on their way to help. The boat has been towed from Tsawwassen to a shipyard on Vancouver Island, where the encased engine will be removed from the ship and inspected.

Engineers will be undertaking "the very complicated task of understanding the damage … [and] this is going to take a fair bit of time," he said.

For example, even removing the engine from the ship requires specialized equipment, Jimenez said.

The Coastal Renaissance is one of three ships built by a German company for B.C. Ferries in the mid-2000s. According to the B.C. Ferries website, the boat can carry 310 cars and 1,604 passengers and crew.

"This particular issue is unexpected, unusual, and obviously very complicated — not something anyone can plan for," Jimenez said.

In a statement, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure told CBC that Minister Rob Fleming has spoken with Jimenez about B.C. Ferries' plans to address issues affecting service, but did not elaborate further. 

The ministry says the province has given $500 million to B.C. Ferries for a four-year period starting in 2024.