BC Ferries avoids long-weekend cancellations on major route by securing last-minute crew

In the middle of one of its busiest weekends of the year, BC Ferries narrowly avoided cancellations on a major route Saturday.

Around noon, the provincial ferry service announced it was cancelling two sailings on the busy Tsawwassen – Swartz Bay route between Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria. 

BC Ferries said it had been "unsuccessful in securing the required number of crew" for the 6 p.m. sailing departing Tsawwssen and the 8 p.m. return trip from Swartz Bay.

In a service notice, it promised to rebook or refund passengers with reservations on the cancelled sailings, and apologized to travellers for the inconvenience.

Then, just less than 30 minutes later, BC Ferries changed course.

"The earlier staffing shortage that BC Ferries experienced on the Queen of New Westminster has been resolved," the company said in an updated service notice cancelling the cancellations.

"The vessel will sail as scheduled for the remainder of the day … We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience caused by the earlier sailing cancellations."

The day was not entirely without cancellations, though. As of 4 p.m. Saturday, some sailings had been cancelled on the much smaller route between Saltery Bay near Powell River and Earls Cove on the Sunshine Coast.  

BC Ferries has faced significant scrutiny this summer after a chaotic Canada Day long weekend that saw sold-out sailings, delays, long lines and online-booking issues. 

As that long weekend was unfolding, Transportation Minister Rob Fleming called the situation "unacceptable," and said BC Ferries "needs to provide a better, more reliable service."

Since then, the August long weekend – traditionally the busiest of the year – has come and gone without any major issues, but one of the company's largest vessels has broken down.

The Coastal Renaissance is expected to be out of commission into October, and BC Ferries director of public affairs Deborah Marshall told CTV News on Friday that the vessel's absence affected about 800 passengers who had reservations over the Labour Day long weekend. 

The Queen of Alberni, which is smaller, has been filling in for the Coastal Renaissance, and will continue to do so through Thanksgiving.

The change has had a ripple effect, causing 60 sailing cancellations on routes between Horseshoe Bay and destinations on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast, affecting a further 800 customers between Labour Day and Thanksgiving. 

In a pair of updates for media on Saturday, BC Ferries said traffic was flowing smoothly at major terminals and space was available for standby traffic.

The ferry service expects to transport roughly 200,000 vehicles and 520,000 passengers get to their destinations between Aug. 31 and Sept. 5.