BC Ferries vessel replacement returns after ‘mechanical issue’

A replacement vessel on the Horseshoe Bay to Langdale run is back in service after it was forced to be docked due to a mechanical issue.

Initially, the Queen of Coquitlam was pulled from service Thursday night because of a mechanical issue. The Queen of Coquitlam was brought in to take over, but an issue forced that boat to be docked, leading to some delays to and from the Sunshine Coast Friday morning.

On Thursday, a message on the BC Ferries Current Conditions website said it was “working to fix a mechanical issue on board” for all sailings from the Sunshine Coast’s Langdale terminal to West Vancouver’s Horseshoe Bay terminal from 11:00 a.m. Friday onward.

The same message was displayed for multiple sailings throughout the other day heading in the opposite direction, while others told passengers BC Ferries was “unloading multiple vessels at this time” and “earlier loading procedure is causing ongoing delay.”

#BCFHeadsUp Due to a mechanical issue with the #QofSurrey the #QofCoquitlam is taking over all sailings for the remainder of the evening, resulting in additional delays. ^vl@marcanada54 @adammacewan @jane_vansickle @txtromper

— BC Ferries (@BCFerries) August 4, 2023

“The crew is doing everything they can to get us back on schedule,” BC Ferries added in a release.

In a statement to CityNews, BC Ferries says there were no sailing cancellations on the Horseshoe Bay to Langdale route Thursday or Friday morning as a result of the mechanical issues.

“Yesterday, the Queen of Surrey experienced an issue with a controllable pitch propeller, which caused delays for both the Queen of Surrey and Queen of Coquitlam. The vessels swapped schedules and continued to sail,” the corporation said in an email Friday morning.

“This morning, the two vessels swapped schedules again. This was not reflected accurately on the website. This issue is being rectified shortly.”

The situation came days after the BC Ferries CEO assured customers the company is taking steps to keep people moving as smoothly as possible throughout the weekend, following a tumultuous few weeks.

Related articles:

• BC Ferries, ICBC urge patience as long weekend travel ramps up

• BC Ferries says it’s getting ready for the long weekend traffic

• Trust in BC Ferries ‘being challenged’ by miscommunication: expert

Nicholas Jimenez says all of BC Ferries’ vessels will be in service over the weekend, adding there are backup plans in place in case something goes wrong. However, he says challenges are inevitable.

“We’re putting every vessel into service, we have teams at the ready in case something goes wrong,” he said.

“We move 60,000 people a day, 450 sailings a day. The question isn’t: ‘Is it going to happen?’ it’s: ‘How quickly can you react when it does happen and how do you move on from the incident when it does occur?’”

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