With two holiday long weekends back-to-back in the next two weeks, BC Ferries has revealed that another of its vessels needs urgent maintenance, taking away capacity from the popular Tsawwassen – Swartz Bay route.
According to a press release from the company, the MV Spirit of Vancouver Island (pictured at top) will head for drydock immediately following the Thanksgiving holiday on October 10th, 2023 to undergo repair work on its ballast tanks. This leaves two vessels operating on one of the busiest routes in the ferry system until the MV Spirit of Vancouver Island’s expected return date of October 18th, 2023.
During this period, BC Ferries is asking passengers to make reservations or choose sailings at off-peak times to minimize delays at terminals.
Meanwhile, mechanical work continues on the MV Coastal Renaissance’s number two drive motor. The Coastal Class ferry was pulled from service on August 17th, 2023 and has remained in drydock since. BC Ferries has decided to perform the vessel’s annual refit in parallel with the engine work, which will see it back in the water sometime in December 2023.
This year has been particularly challenging for BC Ferries with multiple sailings cancelled due to crew shortages and mechanical mishaps with multiple ships.
BC Ferries expects some 380,000 passengers and 175,000 vehicles to travel the waters of British Columbia’s coast in the days around the Thanksgiving holiday.
Source: BC Ferries press release
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