B.C. Ferries cancelled several sailings between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen Wednesday and Thursday, saying repairs to the Spirit of Vancouver Island’s starboard gear box are taking longer than expected.
The ferry has been out of service since September and was set to be sailing again on Wednesday, but the work is significant and will take a little longer, B.C. Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said Wednesday.
The ship will undergo sea trials shortly, she said.
B.C. Ferries anticipates the Spirit of Vancouver Island will resume operation on the Tsawwassen -Swartz Bay route in the next several days, once it’s approved for service, Marshall said.
“We are awaiting word from our engineering department, which has been working incredibly hard to return the ship to service.”
The Coastal Celebration had been filling in for the Spirit-class vessel and additional round trips have been added.
B.C. Ferries expects there will be overloads for customers without reservations, Marshall said.
She suggests passengers consider the Tsawwassen -Duke Point route or Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay route instead.
Cancelled sailings on Wednesday include the noon and 4 p.m. from Swartz Bay, and the 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. from Tsawwassen.
Cancelled sailings on Thursday include the 8 a.m. and noon sailings from Swartz Bay, and the 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. from Tsawwassen.
The Coastal Celebration is taking over the 11 p.m. sailing from Swartz Bay on Wednesday and Thursday, and the 1 a.m. from Tsawwassen on Thursday and Friday.
All other sailings will depart as planned.
One passenger posted on Twitter that she was frustrated and disappointed after receiving an email stating cancelling her Wednesday reservation. “All remaining sailings are booked and I waited almost 90 minutes on hold only to be told there’s nothing they can do.”
B.C. Ferries said in a statement that it will try to accommodate bookings to the next available sailing. If that isn’t possible, bookings will be cancelled and refunded. It expects overloads for customers without reservations.
