BC Ferries sailings from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay sold out Friday
Posted June 30, 2023 6:50 am.
Last Updated July 1, 2023 11:57 am.
For the second day in a row, BC Ferries sailings from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay are sold out for vehicles.
The first sailing on the route for Saturday morning at 6 a.m. is also filling up quickly. Those looking to catch a boat to the island are urged to do so as a foot passenger if a vehicle reservation was not made.
2:19 #BCFHeadsUp
All of todays #Tsawwassen – #SwartzBay sailings have sold out of reserved vehicle space. @BCFerries @CityNewsVAN @jack969 @sonicradio pic.twitter.com/QdM5a42XFA— CityNews Vancouver Traffic (@CityNewsTraffic) June 30, 2023
Deborah Marshall, a spokesperson for BC Ferries, says over 5,300 vehicles and 20,000 passengers were transported on the route on Thursday.
“We know it’s busy out there,” she told CityNews. “We know that it can be frustrating waiting in line.”
Related Article: BC Ferries cuts some long weekend Vancouver-Victoria sailings
The volume comes as BC Ferries announced Wednesday that its Coastal Celebration vessel experienced “unexpected complications with its propulsion system,” causing a delay in its return from dry dock.
As a result, there will be eight fewer daily sailings between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay from Wednesday until July 3. The vessel was supposed to be back in operation on June 15 but is now expected to return on July 4.
A notice about the delay in repairs was posted on the corporation’s website on June 19, advising passengers that it may impact travel on the Canada Day long weekend. However, a media release on the subject was not sent until June 28.
“You have to appreciate that there’s only three dry docks along coastal British Columbia here that we can dry dock our vessels to do repairs and some of the extended refits,” Marshall explained.
“Unfortunately, the [Coastal Celebration]’s refit did get extended so we did not have a ship back on June 15 as we had anticipated.”
Marshall adds that despite the anticipated demand on the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay run for the long weekend, the company was not able to bring in any other boats to help alleviate the pressure.
“We certainly look at that, but you have to look at the impact at the other routes as well. We do have all of our major vessels in operation for the summer season so we did not have an extra vessel to move to the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay run,” she explained.
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