“It was a hydraulic hose that failed,” B.C. Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said. That left the ferry stuck in the middle of Baynes Sound about 9 a.m.
The stranded passengers were back at the dock about 11:45 a.m. after the vessel was towed.
A water taxi was used to fill in for the ferry, known as the Baynes Sound Connector, until it was back in service about 2:45 p.m.
“No injuries or anything like that, it’s just obviously an inconvenience for our customers,” Marshall said.
The vessel, the only cable ferry operated by B.C. Ferries, has been in service since February.
Denman Island Residents Association president Frank Frketich said the breakdown of the ferry came as “a bit of a surprise.”
“Islanders really would expect better service from B.C. Ferries,” he said. “With a brand-new ferry, you’d expect that it would be better and everything would be fine.”
There was considerable opposition to a cable ferry, which is powered by a hydraulic motor and runs along three underwater cables, he said.
“A lot of people were not in favour of it,” Frketich said. “This is just going to reinforce those feelings, and that’s really unfortunate. The darn thing should be running better than it is.”
Many Denman Island and Hornby Island residents favour the conventional service provided for years by MV Quinitsa, but the cable ferry has been touted by B.C. Ferries as very stable and energy efficient.
Frketich said he is disappointed at what happened with the cable ferry, but understands that things happen. “You can’t avoid a breakdown. If something’s going to blow, something’s going to blow — and that’s just the way it is.”
NDP North Island MLA and transportation critic Claire Trevena said the ferry might not be as reliable as advertised.
“It’s been working for approximately just four months and you have a breakdown like this, leaving people stranded,” she said.
The incident prompted B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union president Graeme Johnston to renew his call for a certified engineer on the ferry.
“The idea there is to prevent issues like this from occurring, and when they do occur, to be able to repair them mid-route so that boat doesn’t have to be stranded and to be towed in,” Johnston said.
“So the position of the union is this sort of incident is potentially completely avoidable by having the right personnel on the boat.”
