BC Ferries was forced to take the Queen of Alberni out of service temporarily on Sunday after it suffered mechanical issues.
According to the ferry service, the ship experienced a problem with its controllable pitch propellor.
BC Ferries said that with two other major vessels currently undergoing refits, they were forced to reassign the Coastal Celebration and Queen of Coquitlam to service the Tsawwassen-Duke point route.
Six sailings were cancelled along the route on Sunday and three more were cancelled on Monday. The sailings that were cancelled include:
Sunday, October 18th – Tsawwassen-Duke Point
- 10:15 am departing Tsawwassen
- 12:45 pm departing Duke Point
- 3:15 pm departing Tsawwassen
- 5:45 pm departing Duke Point
- 8:15 pm departing Tsawwassen
- 10:45 pm departing Duke Point
Monday, October 19th – Tsawwassen-Duke Point
- 05:15 am departing Tsawwassen
- 07:45 am departing Duke Point
- 8:15 pm departing Tsawwassen
The 10:45 pm sailing departing Duke Point was scheduled for service by the Queen of Coquitlam.
BC Ferries says that customers on these sailings had their fares fully refunded and was working to contact individuals by phone and email to advise of the cancellations.
With the Coastal Celebration also reassigned to cover some sailings by the Queen of Alberni, two sailings along the Tsawwassen – Swartz Bay route were also cancelled:
- 12:00 pm departing Swartz Bay
- 2:00 pm departing Tsawwassen
Customers on these two sailings were moved to the next available sailing and BC Ferries said on Sunday they were contacting people by phone and email to advise them on the change.
In statements on the BC Ferries website the company apologized for the inconvenience and advised customers to follow them on Twitter @BCFerries for updates, and to check the Current Conditions website or to call them at 1-888-223-3779 for additional information.
