Queen of New Westminster sailing again after BC Ferries makes rudder repair

BC Ferries was having problems on its Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay route Thursday morning.

The Queen of New Westminster didn’t leave the dock on time for its 6 a.m. sailing due to a mechanical issue with the vessel’s starboard rudder, and it was creating a domino effect.

“We are working to fix this and will keep you informed as more information becomes available. As soon as the problem is resolved, the vessel will resume service,” BC Ferries said on its website.

BC Ferries shared that the vessel was back up and running and would sail once again for its scheduled 10 a.m. departure.

The route however is seeing multiple sailing waits with the earliest available sailing for those driving at 12 p.m. or later.

As of Thursday evening, BC Ferries says there’s still a two-sailing wait for those without reservations. Reet Sidhu, a senior communications adviser for the company, says that’s not uncommon on a busy summer day.

“One to two sailing waits are quite standard, and when we get really busy and we’re on a weekend or heading into a long weekend, then sometimes it can even be a three or four sailing wait. That’s why we always highly recommend our customers book in advance and make reservations. It just ensures a smoother travel experience for everybody involved,” said Sidhu.

She says BC Ferries does not anticipate any mechanical delays for Friday.

Nathan Franklin was on his way to Victoria Thursday, when he was forced to change route and sail to Nanaimo before driving down to the southern Vancouver Island city.

“There’s definitely a ton of people here lined up for Victoria, nearly all the way to the gates,” he told CityNews. “They haven’t announced why [there’s the delay], they just have as on the signs the three sailing delay.”

Franklin believes the delays are due to the mechanical issue.

“People are just waiting around. I don’t know anybody’s mood, but I can’t imagine that they’d be too happy,” he shared.

“I wasn’t too happy to find out that I would have to wait for three sailings to get to Victoria. So, as a result I would suggest to anybody coming here trying to go to Victoria, buy a ticket to maybe a different part of the Island and then just drive from there.”

Listen live to CityNews 1130 every 10 minutes on the ones for traffic updates. You can also follow us on X @CityNewsTraffic and subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.