Travellers are being urged to book ahead and travel at off-peak times if they can, as BC Ferries prepares for a pair of busy long weekends without one of the fleet’s key vessels.
Officials are expecting up to 400,000 passengers over the Thanksgiving weekend, and the potential for above-average traffic this weekend as B.C. marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
It comes with the Coastal Renaissance, a Super C Class ferry capable of transporting 1,604 passengers and crew, still laid up with engine trouble.
That vessel has been out of service since Aug. 17 due to a drive motor failure.
Stephen Jones, executive director of engineering for BC Ferries, said the vessel’s engine was removed on Sept. 15 and has been shipped to a contractor in Indiana for repairs.
Technicians will replace the motor’s rotor and repair another component, with the engine due back by early December, at a cost of about $3 million.
The company expects to be able to install it and have the Coastal Renaissance back in service by the end of its scheduled refit on Dec. 14, he added.
“We don’t anticipate this repair will impact any further service after the end of its refit period,” he said.
Brian Anderson, BC Ferries vice-president of strategy and engagement, said the company will have all hands on deck for the Thanksgiving weekend, but that passengers should still expect heavy volumes.
The company will have all ticket booths open, has special traffic management plans in place and will provide updates both on social media and through twice-daily media briefings.
“That being said, there is less capacity available than would be traditionally be provided on the Thanksgiving long weekend due to the fact the Coastal Renaissance is out of service…. We are doing everything we can to deploy every asset that is available to us,” he said.
The company is also urging people to leave their vehicle at home if possible.
“If you need to bring a vehicle then a booking is highly recommended, and if you need to travel without a booking or it’s impossible to make a booking to travel at off-peak times, early in the morning or later at night — those are your best options — and monitor conditions,” he said, adding the advice also applies to the Reconciliation Day weekend.
Second vessel to be pulled from service
While it won’t affect long-weekend travel, BC Ferries executives said Thursday that they will soon have to pull a second vessel from service.
Anderson said engineers had discovered a crack in the ballast tank of the Spirit of Vancouver Island, an S-Class ferry with a capacity of 2,100 passengers and crew that typically serves the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay route.
A dive team has completed a temporary repair on the crack, and Transport Canada has certified the vessel as safe to operate temporarily to accommodate the long weekends, Anderson said.
However, the company has secured a rare dry dock space in the weeks afterward that will allow it to make a permanent repair.
“We’ve had an opportunity to take advantage of a piece of real estate there, so we will be taking the vessel out of service for nine days from the evening of Oct. 10 through to Oct. 18,” Anderson said.
Over that period, the company will be forced to scrub 14 sailings. Anderson said the company will contact anyone with a reservation on those sailings to re-book them, but that other travellers should expect some delays.
“While traffic generally is lower post-Thanksgiving, customers travelling with a vehicle during that period who do not book in advance can expect some sailing waits,” he said.
Travellers are being reminded they can get updates through the BC Ferries X (formerly Twitter) account and via its website.
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