Passengers stranded after BC Ferries vessel loses anchor mid-voyage

BC Ferries passengers were in for a long sailing this afternoon from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen after the vessel experienced an issue with its starboard anchor.

The Spirit of British Columbia vessel left Swartz Bay bound for Tsawwassen at 1 p.m. and ran into problems mid-sailing. 

BC Ferries spokesperson, Deborah Marshall told Victoria Buzz the vessel began experiencing technical issues around 2:45 p.m after passing Mayne Island. 

Marshall apologized for the delay and said, “there is no danger to the vessel or the passengers on board. The crew are working on retrieving the anchor. The ship will get underway as soon as possible,” says Marshall.

Jocelyn Edmunds and her daughter were onboard the vessel when the anchor detached.

Edmunds says she and her daughter were concerned for their safety. 

“The noise that came with the anchor letting loose was terrifying.”

“My daughter started to have a panic attack. We braced as we had no idea what was going on. Others started to scramble and so we headed for the outer deck straight for the life rafts,” said Edmunds. 

As of 4 p.m., BC Ferries reported the crew were able to retrieve the anchor and has now resumed the trip for an estimated arrival in Tsawwassen at 4:20 p.m.

Due to the delays, the 3 p.m. sailing from Tsawwassen and the 5 p.m. sailing from Swartz Bay have been cancelled for today.

Some passengers took to social media saying the anchor dropped while the ship was moving at full speed. 

One passenger said the boat began to shake and smoke could be seen when the anchor dropped which caused some to run.