The MV Coho is preparing to set sail as soon as the Canada-U.S. border reopens, says the president of Black Ball Ferry Line.
“We’re ready to go once we get word of the border reopening,” said Ryan Burles, the company’s president and chief operating officer.
“We’ll play it by ear, but I am thinking that we could be operating by the end of August. It depends on how they open the border and the non-vaccinated people hurdle. We still don’t have an idea who is responsible for screening passengers and verifying their proof of vaccination.”
The ferry hasn’t been seen in local waters since it made its last voyage at the end of March 2020, when the route between Victoria and Port Angeles was suspended due to the closure of the Canada-U.S. border to non-essential travel. This has been the longest pause of service in the private company’s history.
On Tuesday, the vessel sailed the waters of Juan de Fuca Strait as part of a routine maintenance outing. Black Ball has kept the ship fully operational, with the crew taking her out to sea once every six weeks.
Ryan Malone, the company’s vice-president of marketing, said there’s typically a big response when people see the vessel in the water.
“Every time we post on social media that the Coho is back on the water — even just temporarily — we typically get between 50,000 to 60,000 hits within a day,” he said.
“After more than a year without the service, we are seeing an almost visceral response. That tells us communities on both sides of the border are anxious to get reconnected.”
Over the past year, the Coho has had two skeleton crews of three performing watch duty, working a week on, a week off. The Tuesday sailing saw a full complement of about 10 crew members maintaining their seafaring skills.
The ship also had an annual maintenance service, including a trip to the dry dock, performed in March.
As a private company, Black Ball did not qualify for U.S. federal relief for the transportation industry.
“We are, unfortunately, a round peg in a sea of square holes,” Malane said.
While he wouldn’t be specific, he said that the company is losing more than US$250,000 every month.
In Canada, their docking fees have been suspended. In the U.S., the fees have been deferred.
In normal times the company employs up to 125 full- and part-time personnel over the busy summer months.
Since the pandemic hit, almost the entire staff, three-quarters of whom are American, has been laid off, although the company has continued paying their medical insurance premiums.
Burles doesn’t foresee any trouble rehiring staff. “We have always treated our employees like family.”
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