A mechanical difficulty on a B.C. ferry removed the vessel from service, forcing the cancellation of two ferry sailings between Nanaimo and Vancouver Sunday morning.
B.C. Ferries said a 10:15 a.m. departure from Tsawwassen to Duke Point and a 12:45 p.m. sailing in the opposite direction were cancelled.
The cancellations are due to a problem with a cylinder head on one of two main engines on the Queen of Alberni, which needs to be replaced immediately, said B.C. Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall.
The Queen of New Westminster will replace the ship for the remainder of the day, starting with the 3:15 p.m. departure from Tsawwassen.
“We do expect the repairs to be made to the Alberni and that ship will be back in service first thing tomorrow morning,” Marshall said.
Sunday tends to have the lightest ferry traffic of the Family Day long weekend, which will likely see about 200,000 customers over three days, Marshall said, and B.C. Ferries is diverting customers to other terminals.
“At Duke Point, we have diverted some customers over to Departure Bay, and then some of the customers waiting at Tsawwassen, we’ve just suggested if they want to go to Swartz Bay, so some of those customers went on the 11 o’clock sailing,” Marshall said.
It was smooth sailing without any car waits on all other major routes Sunday.
B.C. Ferries added 20 extra sailings over the long weekend between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay, their busiest route.
