With the BC Ferries’ Queen of New Westminster passenger vessel out of commission for six months and no backup vessel to service its routes, BC Ferries’ president and CEO said the company plans to seek the Ferry Commissioner’s approval for the addition of a new vessel to the fleet.
The news was announced by BC Ferries Sept. 7.
“If we had a backup vessel available, this incident would have had minimal impact on service,” BC Ferries President and CEO Nicolas Jimenez said. “It underscores the importance of our fleet renewal strategy to ensure we have the capacity and resilience to manage unexpected issues and vessel repairs.”
The 10,000-pound propeller of the 60-year-old Queen of New Westminster was discovered half-submerged in a seabed. An initial visual inspection of the propeller shaft’s fracture points to possible “structural fatigue,” according to BC Ferries.
“Our skilled technical teams are leading the repair effort which will involve local dry docks and specialist contractors,” BC Ferries Vice President of Engineering Stephen Jones said. “(W)e are confident we will complete these substantial repairs and return the vessel to service as quickly and safely as possible.”
Meanwhile, the repairs, which are expected to be extensive, could mean the vessel is out of service for another several months, and all Queen of New Westminster sailings have been canceled through Sept. 30. BC Ferries said it’s looking at where it could add sailings on the route with other vessels and adjust the refit schedule.
“Our priority is to ensure we can accommodate customers on other vessels, including adding sailings on the Coastal Celebration and Coastal Renaissance where possible,” Jimenez said. “We’ll also continue maximizing the loading of existing sailings to minimize disruption.”
