BC Ferries has fired one of its captains after a ferry en route to Victoria had a close call with a freighter last month.
BC Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said Tuesday the Spirit of British Columbia had what she termed a "near miss'' on March 17, coming within 180 metres of a vessel at the narrow entrance to Active Pass between Mayne Island and Galiano Island.
She says the two vessels had been in contact and planned to pass each other outside the pass on the west side of the Strait of Georgia.
"But they miscalculated their speed and they did pass each other at the entrance to Active Pass,'' Marshall said in an interview.
"Our internal procedures stipulate that vessels should not pass -- either another ferry or commercial vessel -- at that particular location.''
The ferry, which can carry up to 2,100 passengers and several hundred vehicles, came within two football fields of each other, she said.
BC Ferries' policy allows passing only inside the long, straight stretch of Active Pass or outside the pass.
She says BC Ferries conducted an internal review and fired the unidentified captain, who had come back from retirement to do relief work.
"The captain who was operating the vessel was contracted to BC Ferries,'' Marshall said. "Suffice to say this person is no longer working for BC Ferries.''
Marshall says BC Ferries has also reported the incident to Transport Canada although it did not violate any federal regulations.
