BC Ferries advisory: Some sailings cancelled with vessel 1 crew member short

The BC Ferries vessel Queen of Surrey passes Bowen Island while traveling on Howe Sound from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale, B.C., on Friday, April 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

BC Ferries said Friday it doesn't have enough staff to safely complete certain sailings.

Two sailings were cancelled as of early in the morning "due to crew availability," the provider said.

The cancelled sailings are between Nanaimo (Departure Bay) and West Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay). The first was supposed to leave Nanaimo at 7:40 a.m. The second was supposed to leave the mainland at 10 a.m.

Another two were considered at risk "if a crew member is unable to be sourced" to help run the vessel called the Queen of Alberni, BC Ferries said, but it appears it was able to find an extra crew member.

Initially the company said two sailings on the same route, leaving Nanaimo at 12:25 p.m. and West Vancouver at 2:45 pm., may not run, but later in the morning, it said it was able to secure the staffing needed.

In a service notice, BC Ferries said it requires a specific number of crew members onboard each vessel to ensure passengers are safe in the event of an emergency. That number, which was not provided, is also required under Transport Canada rules.

Customers impacted by the cancellations will be contacted by customer service representatives. If there's space on another sailing, they'll be informed. Otherwise, they'll be told their booking must be cancelled, and their fares will be refunded.

The update on the Queen of Alberni comes just days after mechanical issues put the vessel out of service. There were six cancellations out of Horseshoe Bay on Canada Day alone, leaving travellers without a reservation waiting for hours to squeeze on another sailing. 

BC Ferries customers were also being impacted Friday by a Rogers Communication network outage.