BC Ferries vessel breaks down during sailing to Horseshoe Bay
Posted April 21, 2025 1:02 pm.
Last Updated April 21, 2025 4:33 pm.
Passengers were temporarily stranded on a BC Ferries vessel Monday afternoon after it broke down while on its way into the Horseshoe Bay terminal.
According to BC Ferries, the Queen of Coquitlam was held in the water “due to a mechanical difficulty with the vessel’s pitch control.”
After roughly three additional hours in the water, the ship was reported to have finally reached the dock around 2:45 p.m.
In an update around 2:20 p.m., the company said the vessel has been repaired and crews will “conduct sea trials using the available tug” while waiting for approval from Transport Canada to resume service.
Sailings between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale were cancelled until 4:20 p.m.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!“In the meantime, three 12-passenger water taxis have been sourced to provide complimentary passenger travel between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale terminals. This service is expected to start shortly and operate in shuttle mode.”
Nicole Woodhall, a passenger aboard the Queen of Coquitlam Monday, tells 1130 NewsRadio that the experience was entirely unexpected.
“Probably about 10 – 15, minutes away from the dock, and we just stopped, and they didn’t say anything for a little bit. And then the announcement came on, saying, ‘Hey folks, we’ve got a mechanical issue. We don’t know when we’re going to be able to get you out of here.’ And so they had some engineers come in and have a look,” said Woodhall.
Rohana Rezel says the destination was just out of reach when things went south.
“We left Langdale on time, and I don’t know how far we are from the terminal, but we can see the terminal from here, and we are stuck,” he said on board.
“We are not moving,” Rezel added.
He says the ferry broke down before midday.
“[BC Ferries] said they’re working on it. They keep us updated, but they said that, at the moment, there’s no propulsion. That’s the last message we got, was that there’s no propulsion,” Rezel said.
“It’s a bit frustrating, but in the grand scheme of things, the weather’s fine, and people are taking it very calmly so far… I can see the kids are getting agitated. My son’s doing okay. He’s six, but some of the kids, they’re asking questions about when they’re going to get back home.”
In an update around 1:30 p.m., Rezel said the journey was far from over.
“The captain came on the PA system and told us that the engineers have not been able to fix them so that they have called for a tug, and the tug is going to be here in about 45 minutes. And from then, it’s going to be another 40 minutes to the terminal,” he said.
Rezel says passengers were mostly staying calm, but the agitation began to grow.
“Some of us are going to miss their flights. So, yeah, people are getting annoyed now.”
Woodhall says she overheard a man complain about missing his flight and another person talk about missing a health appointment.
BC Ferries says customers with bookings on affected sailings are being contacted by its customer service employees with rebooking options or refunds, as appropriate, and complimentary food vouchers were offered to onboard passengers.
“Both vessels supporting this route this weekend are approaching 50 years of age. As vessels age, maintenance becomes more frequent and complex — reinforcing the importance of our long-term fleet renewal strategy to improve reliability, add capacity, and better support growing demand,” said a statement by the company.
Monday’s failure comes after major problems at the Horseshoe Bay Terminal at the beginning of the holiday weekend.
Friday morning saw waits at the terminal clog up Highway 1, causing backups all the way into Vancouver.
Rezel says BC Ferries could have done more to prepare for the volume of customers.
“They should have been prepared for the crowds, and especially this weekend, they should have made sure that everything was in shipshape, right? — No pun intended,” said Rezel.
You can watch CityNews 24/7 live or listen live to 1130 NewsRadio Vancouver to keep up to date with this story. You can also subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
