'Weeks, not days': Another B.C. ferry has broken down and is expected to be out of service for a long time

BC Ferries confirmed the Coastal Renaissance has broken down and it will likely be “weeks, not days” before it is fixed and back in service.

The issue on the vessel that sails from Tsawwassen to Duke Point in Nanaimo was discovered in the ship’s engine room on Wednesday afternoon.

The CEO of the publicly owned company described it as a “failure of a number 2 drive motor.”

“This is not a simple fix, this in fact a very complicated fix that will take an extended period of time,” admitted Nicolas Jimenez during a hastily called news conference Thursday.

“So, the issue that we are working through right now is, 'How do we manage all of the people who are going to be impacted by this situation?'” he added.

An estimated 2,000 people have bookings on the Coastal Renaissance, and BC Ferries is considering adding very early and very late sailings to accommodate travelers.

BC Ferries said those with reservations on ships that are still running properly are likely to get on, but passengers booked on the Coastal Renaissance may be delayed.

On Thursday, four sailings to and from Tsawwassen and Duke Point had already been scrapped.

The 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. sailings from Duke Point to Tsawwassen were cancelled and the 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. return trips have also been scrapped.

Late last month, the Coastal Renaissance was taken out of service by an unspecified engine issue.

BC Ferries has also seen staffing shortages become a growing problem, one that cancelled more sailings on Thursday.

The ferry service said late Wednesday night that the 9:30 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. sailings to and from the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver were cancelled due to a lack of staff.