One of the Salish Orca’s thrusters broke down outside Powell River on Thursday afternoon, but the ferry managed to offload its passengers and continue to Comox.
After the thruster failed, a tug helped the Salish Orca to dock at Powell River and then Comox on Thursday. A thruster helps a boat manoeuvre into position at a dock.
B.C. Ferries received special permission from Transport Canada to use a tug to dock.
There were 281 passengers on board the sailing to Powell River and 147 passengers on the sailing returning to Comox, B.C. Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall said Friday. “Our customers were delayed in arriving at their destinations last night and we certainly apologize for that,” Marshall said.
It’s not yet known when the ferry will be back in service. B.C. Ferries urges passengers to check the status of sailings in coming days.
While the Salish Orca is out of service, the Salish Eagle is being redeployed from its duties providing extra service on the Tsawwassen-Southern Gulf Islands route.
The Salish Eagle was to assume service Friday evening on the Comox-Powell River route until further notice.
On Friday morning, the Salish Orca left Comox for Tsawwassen, where engineers and technicians will assess the vessel and develop a repair plan, Marshall said. She said the goal is to repair the ship while it’s docked at Tsawwassen.
It’s too early to say if the failure will be covered under a warranty, she said.
One of three Salish-class vessels, the Orca was constructed in 2016 in Poland by Remontowa Shipbuilding. It runs between Powell River and Comox and has capacity for 138 cars and up to 600 passengers and crew.
The Salish Class ferries were the first in B.C. Ferries’ fleet fuelled by liquefied natural gas to reduce air emissions.
Meanwhile, the MV Powell River Queen was taken out of service temporarily on Friday because of an issue with its watertight doors.
After the problem was resolved, the ferry resumed its regular service out of Quathiaski Cove on Quadra Island to Campbell River, shuttling back and forth to take care of vehicle traffic that built up because of cancelled sailings.
When the ferry was out of service, a foot-passenger water taxi was offered at no cost to passengers.
For the most up-to-date sailing and departure information, check @BCFerries on Twitter, visit bcferries.com/current-conditions, or call 1-888-223-3779.
