BC Ferries sailings from Nanaimo to Tsawwssen cancelled because of mechanical issue

VANCOUVER -- A mechanical problem caused the cancellation of two BC Ferries sailings between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland Saturday.

A travel advisory from the provincial ferry company indicated that the Queen of Alberni had experienced "a mechanical difficulty with the ship's main engine fuel pump," forcing the cancellation of its 10:15 a.m. sailing from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo's Duke Point, as well as the return voyage that was scheduled to depart at 12:45 p.m.

Those with reservations for the cancelled sailings will receive full refunds, BC Ferries said, adding that those with reservations would, where possible, be accommodated on a later sailing.

On Twitter, the ferry service also suggested that travellers could relocate to a different terminal: Departure Bay instead of Duke Point in the Nanaimo area or Horseshoe Bay instead of Tsawwassen in the Lower Mainland.

#BCFHeadsUp #Tsawwassen #DukePoint travellers advised they may stay at the terminal to be accommodated on the next available sailing or travel from #DepartureBay - #HorseshoeBay. More info can be found on our Travel Advisory here: https://t.co/5Lw3jPqrHJ ^mg

— BC Ferries (@BCFerries) December 28, 2019

The cancellations come on a weekend that had already seen multiple-sailing waits for holiday travellers returning to the Lower Mainland from Vancouver Island.

BC Ferries said it is working to resolve the issue on the Queen of Alberni and apologized to customers for the inconvenience.