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BC Ferries cancels multiple sailings between Vancouver and Victoria due to rudder failure

A BC Ferries vessel passes Bowen Island while traveling on Howe Sound from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale, B.C., on Friday, April 23, 2021. (Darryl Dyck/THE CANADIAN PRESS) A BC Ferries vessel passes Bowen Island while traveling on Howe Sound from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale, B.C., on Friday, April 23, 2021. (Darryl Dyck/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
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BC Ferries is cancelling multiple sailings between Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island until Sunday due to a mechanical issue with one of its vessels' rudders.

The ferry company says its Queen of New Westminster vessel has been taken out of service until the problem can be fixed.

"Divers investigated the problem and replacement parts are set to arrive within the next few days," BC Ferries said in a service notice posted on its website Wednesday.

As a result, the following sailings between Tsawwassen (Vancouver) and Swartz Bay (Victoria) have been cancelled:

Thursday, Feb. 22

  • 4 p.m. departing Tsawwassen
  • 6 p.m. departing Swartz Bay

Friday, Feb. 23

  • 12 p.m. departing Tsawwassen
  • 2 p.m. departing Swartz Bay
  • 4 p.m. departing Tsawwassen
  • 6 p.m. departing Swartz Bay

Sunday, Feb. 25

  • 12 p.m. departing Tsawwassen
  • 2 p.m. departing Swartz Bay
  • 4 p.m. departing Tsawwassen
  • 6 p.m. departing Swartz Bay

The ferry operator said all other sailings on the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay route are expected to proceed as scheduled.

Anyone with a reserved booking on a cancelled sailing will be contacted by the customer service centre and notified if they can be accommodated on an alternate sailing or if their booking must be cancelled, BC Ferries said in the notice.

Anyone whose reservation is cancelled will be refunded their fare, the ferry company said.

Alternatively, customers with cancelled reservations may consider travelling as foot passengers, or sailing on the Tsawwassen-Duke Point (Nanaimo) or Horseshoe Bay (West Vancouver)-Departure Bay (Nanaimo) routes, BC Ferries advised.

"We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience you may experience as a result of these cancellations," the ferry company said.

Customers affected by the cancellations can find information about the company's compensation for service disruptions on the BC Ferries website.

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