BC Ferries

Skeena Queen to be Replaced With Queen of Cumberland on Swartz Bay to Salt Spring Island Route During Mid-life Upgrade - BC Ferries announced today the vessel serving the Swartz Bay – Salt Spring Island route, the Skeena Queen, will be undergoing a mid-life upgrade from Oct. 28, 2019 to mid-March, 2020. This mid-life upgrade is necessary to provide required maintenance on the vessel and enhance the customer experience. Queen of Cumberland Replaces Skeena Queen during Mid-Life Upgrade BC Ferries will replace the Skeena Queen (92 Automobile Equivalent – AEQ) with the Queen of Cumberland (112 AEQ) for the majority of the time, providing equivalent capacity on the regular schedule. The Queen of Cumberland has vehicle ramps, unlike the Skeena Queen, and some customers may be loaded onto an upper level ramp. Customers must exit their vehicle when the ramp is in motion. With one ramp, the Queen of Cumberland can load 94 AEQ. The crew will mainly use one ramp because the regula…

Please be advised that BC Ferries will be conducting necessary testing of fire suppression systems on the Salish Orca during overnight hours after the scheduled sailing have completed on both Wednesday, October 16 and Thursday, October 17. The work may require sounding of ship alarms at various intervals, and all measures will be taken to minimize the volume and frequency of these alarms. BC Ferries would like to thank its customers and neighbours for their patience and understanding as we complete this necessary systems testing. For traffic updates or more information please call us toll free at 1-888-BCFERRY (223-3779) or check our website at www.bcferries.com

Bowen Queen to be used during peak seasons - After hearing Vesuvius-Crofton customer concerns with overloads that affected their travel experience, BC Ferries met with Salt Spring community members in August to explore solutions for improvement. Customers identified a number of common concerns, including insufficient vessel capacity, lack of customer amenities at terminals, inadequate customer information and commercial/dangerous good vehicles congesting peak time sailings. During the workshop, BC Ferries representatives and community members arrived at possible solutions and priorities for the ideas that would be most realistic to implement, while offering the greatest benefit. As a result, BC Ferries will deploy the Bowen Queen (61 Automobile Equivalent – AEQ) on the route during peak seasons until the MV Quinsam (63 AEQ) is brought into service in a few years time. In 2020, the Bowen Queen will service the route between April and October. BC Ferries…

Please be advised that BC Ferries will be doing maintenance work on the Crofton and Vesuvius trestles. This work will take place from September 23 to November 1, 2019. There will be no impact to operations. Work will include replacement of piles, guardrails, deck boards and other minor items. A barge will be used to facilitate this work. Equipment being used may increase the normal sound levels within the terminal Monday to Saturday between 7:00 am and 5:00 pm. All efforts will be made to minimize noise. BC Ferries would like to thank customers and neighbours for their understanding as we complete the necessary work. For more information or traffic updates please follow @BCFerries on Twitter, visit our website at bcferries.com, or call us toll-free at 1-888-BCFERRY (223-3779).

The Crofton terminal is located within the Municipality of North Cowichan on Vancouver Island. The terminal connects the community to Vesuvius Bay on Salt Spring Island. Passengers travel on the Howe Sound Queen for a 25 minute sailing. The Howe Sound Queen has a vehicle capacity of 52 AEQ* and can carry 300 passengers and crew. It is equipped with a car deck lounge, vending machine and washrooms and provides daily service year round. In May 2019, upon retirement of the Howe Sound Queen, the route will be serviced for approximately three years by the Quinitsa which has a vehicle capacity of 44 AEQ* and can carry 300 passengers and crew. By 2022, the Quinsam will provide ferry service between Crofton and Vesuvius Bay. This terminal is an important link between Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island for residents and visitors alike. Switching to the Quinitsa As of April 1, BC Ferries added sailings and adjusted some sailing times to the Vesuvius-Crofton route. The remainde…

BC Ferries is advising customers that due to current fuel market conditions, the company will implement a fuel surcharge of 1.5 per cent on June 1. BC Ferries closely monitors the cost of fuel and applies a rebate or surcharge, or neither, under a regulatory process that is independent of fares. Here is an example of what a 1.5 per cent fuel surcharge will be: 25 cents for an adult and 85 cents for a vehicle on the Metro Vancouver – Vancouver Island routes, and 15 cents for an adult and 45 cents for a vehicle on a variety of inter-island routes. Over the past 15 years, BC Ferries has been using a fuel rebate/surcharge mechanism to manage the volatility in the price of fuel. When fuel prices are lower, BC Ferries passes lower fuel prices on to customers through a fuel rebate. When fuel prices are higher, BC Ferries charges a fuel surcharge specifically designed to cover the additional cost of fuel. There have also been periods with neither. The company does not ben…

Night work is required on the evening of January 29, 2019 to remove a right angle drive on the MV Skeena Queen. The work is done at night time to prevent a service interruption. The work is scheduled to take place between 9:35 pm Tuesday January 29 and 5:30 am Wednesday January 30. All efforts will be made to minimize the level and duration of the noise. BC Ferries appreciates the patience and understanding of our customers and neighbor’s as we perform this required work at Fulford Harbour.

Please be advised that night work will be required on the Salish Eagle while berthed at Long Harbour terminal. Work will commence after the last scheduled sailing on the evening of September 12. This night work is necessary in order to prevent a service disruption. All efforts will be made to minimize the level and duration of the noise created during the night work, however, at times the sound levels may be noticeable for nearby residents. BC Ferries would like to thank its customers for their patience and understanding while these necessary night work activities are completed.

Tomorrow marks the implementation of Transport Canada regulations that restrict passengers from remaining in their vehicles on closed car decks. BC Ferries understands this change impacts customers that need to remain in their vehicles. BC Ferries wants to help where possible. Customers needing to remain in their vehicles should identify themselves at the ticket booth when they arrive, so BC Ferries can try and accommodate their request. BC Ferries’ staff at the terminals and on board the vessels will assist customers wherever possible with the new policy to ensure a smooth implementation. On larger vessels that have both an upper and lower vehicle deck, customers will be able to remain in their vehicles on the upper vehicle deck only. For customers with special circumstances that need to remain in their vehicles on these vessels, BC Ferries recommends they arrive at the terminal early, so staff can make every effort to accommodate their request. “We recognize …

BC Ferries announced today that as of January 22, 2018, the company will introduce a smoke-free environment on board all of its vessels and at its terminals. This coincides with National Non-Smoking Week, which runs from January 21 to 28, 2018. Last year, the Province amended regulations for no smoking buffer zones around any doorway, intake or open window to any public or workplace from three metres to six metres. Due to the physical space available from doors on the outer decks of BC Ferries’ large vessels and on the vehicle decks of smaller vessels, the new regulation means all vessels will need to become smoke-free environments. In reviewing our policy on smoking in remaining areas, BC Ferries is choosing to introduce a smoke-free environment on all BC Ferries properties, including vessels, terminals and other operations, to support the health and wellness of our passengers and employees. “BC Ferries made the decision to provide a smoke-free environment for th…

On October 11, 2017, BC Ferries will harmonize its safety practices with Canadian ferry operators relating to Transport Canada regulations that prohibit passengers from remaining in their vehicle on any closed deck on a vessel that is underway. Since 2007, BC Ferries has been complying with Transport Canada regulations by maintaining a continuous car deck patrol. BC Ferries and Transport Canada recently re-examined the policy and in an effort to coordinate safety practices will change the application of the regulation. On larger vessels with both an upper and lower vehicle deck, customers will still be able to remain in their vehicles on the upper vehicle deck. Customers with special circumstances may make a request at the ticket booth to be placed on the upper vehicle deck. Where this is possible, BC Ferries will try and accommodate your request. “The regulations relate to safety, and the safety of our passengers and employees is a core value for BC Ferries,” said Cap…

BC Ferries’ newest vessel replaces Queen of Nanaimo starting Thurs., Aug 3 - BC Ferries announced today Salish Raven, the third of three new Salish Class ships will start service on the Tsawwassen - Southern Gulf Islands route on Thurs., Aug 3. Its inaugural sailing will depart Tsawwassen at 2:45 p.m. The company has worked diligently to fast track the ship into service to ensure smooth sailing for the remainder of the summer. “The 53-year old Queen of Nanaimo, which is set to retire from the BC Ferries’ fleet this fall, experienced a mechanical problem with the starboard controllable pitch propeller last week and repair plans continue for that the vessel,” said Mark Wilson, BC Ferries’ Vice President of Engineering. “Engineers have been unable to determine the root cause of the problem with the Queen of Nanaimo as yet, so we are focusing our crew resources into getting the new ship, Salish Raven, into service sooner than we had originally planned.” Sa…

Please be advised that the Queen of Nanaimo is currently operating 83 minutes behind schedule due to responding to a marine emergency. The vessel heard a Mayday distress call on their radio and aided in rescuing 7 people from a boat that ran aground. We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience you may experience as a result of this sailing delay. We request customers with reservations to check in at the terminals in accordance with the scheduled sailing times to maintain their reserved status.

2017-06-28 Update as of 10:30 am: QUEEN OF NANAIMO RETURNS TO SERVICE - Tsawwassen - Southern Gulf Islands: BC Ferries is pleased to advise that repairs to the Queen of Nanaimo are complete and the vessel will return to service tomorrow on the Tsawwassen – Southern Gulf Islands route in advance of the Canada Day long weekend. BC Ferries would like to thank our customers for their patience during the service interruption. Last week, the Queen of Nanaimo was temporarily removed from service as one of the vessel’s controllable pitch propeller systems stopped responding correctly due to an unknown system failure. The fault proved difficult to locate as the system is a combination of pneumatic, mechanical and hydraulic components. The ship’s engineers, along with internal and external specialized technicians, methodically replaced key components and made adjustments to both hydraulic and pneumatic control systems to rectify the fault. The cause of the failure was not a single iss…