Two slipped metal dowels are being blamed for the incident that injured four passengers and a crew member when a B.C. ferry hit a dock in the Gulf Islands north of Victoria.
BC Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall says engineers inspecting the ship after the Tuesday morning incident found two steel dowels had dropped out of the securing mechanism on the port shaft oil distribution box.
Marshall says that made the propeller inoperable, meaning the captain of the Queen of Nanaimo had no control as the ferry approached the dock at Mayne Island.
About 15 metres of rope was found wrapped around the propellers after the vessel hit the dock and Marshall says the rope may have created vibration which could have loosened the dowels, but the accident was caused by the mechanical problem.
Repairs to the ferry are being made and sea trials are planned Wednesday afternoon, with hopes of returning the Queen of Nanaimo to service by Thursday morning.
Marshall says a decision should be made after the sea trials wrap up and the investigation of why the steel dowels dropped out is still underway.
