BC Ferries cancels weekend sailing with Coastal Renaissance shelved for repairs

While BC Ferries’ Coastal Renaissance vessel remains unavailable due to a motor issue, the corporation is cancelling another round of sailings — this batch stretching until the end of the weekend.

BC Ferries says four daily sailings are cancelled until Sunday, and explains the Coastal Renaissance is shelved “due to a failure with the vessel’s #2 drive motor.”

(3/3) #ServiceNotice

The following sailings will be cancelled for August 18 through 20:

9:00am/2:00pm departing #DukePoint
11:30am/4:30pm departing #Tsawwassen

Full notice here: https://t.co/7paAB041Ox ^at

— BC Ferries (@BCFerries) August 18, 2023

The ferry service says the Queen of Alberni and the Coastal Inspiration will continue providing service along the Tsawwassen-Duke Point route for the time being.

BC Ferries warns that the remaining sailings on the route are expected to be fairly busy for the time being. As a result, it encourages travellers to consider opting to be a foot passenger rather than driving on.

For now, BC Ferries says it doesn’t know when the Coastal Renaissance will return to service, as the corporation says “the precise nature of the repair is still being determined.”

Read more:

• BC Ferries says broken down vessel could take weeks to fix

• BC Ferries vessel docked with an engine problem, multiple sailings cancelled

Just after the vessel was pulled from service on Wednesday, BC Ferries Executive Director of Public Affairs Deborah Marshall told CityNews that the ferry will have to undergo successful testing before it can return.

BC Ferries says customers with reservations booked on any cancelled sailing will be contacted by the customer service centre if there is any space for them on an alternate sailing. Travellers will be refunded if fitting them on an alternate sailing isn’t possible.

BC Ferries adds that it is “exploring the potential” of whether or not it can offer additional sailings on the Tsawwassen-Duke Point route.