Eighty-five passengers were stuck aboard a BC Ferries vessel for more than four hours Thursday due to mechanical issues.
Sailings between Swartz Bay and the Southern Gulf Islands were cancelled after the Salish Raven experienced problem with its bow thruster, according to the BC Ferries website.
Deborah Marshall, spokesperson for BC Ferries, said the Salish Raven experienced mechanical problems while travelling from Pender Island to Swartz Bay Thursday morning.
Marshall said the ship was supposed to dock at 9:50 a.m. when staff encountered the problem. The passengers were given complementary food and beverage while they waited on the ship which was holding outside the Swartz Bay terminal.
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As a precautionary measure, a tugboat stood by while the Salish Raven docked at Swartz Bay around 1:30 p.m. Passengers disembarked around 2 p.m.
Marshall said the Coastal Celebration – scheduled to sail later on Thursday – shifted berths so the Salish Raven could dock in berth number two. A technician boarded the Salish Raven to diagnose the issue.
Around 3:30 p.m. Marshall said the issue was resolved and the ship was repaired, waiting to go to sea trials. The ship was expected to be running again by Thursday afternoon.
“We apologize to our customers, we know they had places to go,” Marshall said.
#ServiceNotice #SwartzBay – #SouthernGulfIslands #SalishRaven has cancelled the 10:10am departing SwartzBay, the 11:15am departing #VillageBay & the 11:50am departing #OtterBay due to a mechanical difficulty with its bow thruster. Full details here: https://t.co/PFo4TVPSbR. ^rj
— BC Ferries (@BCFerries) November 7, 2019
The following sailings were cancelled:
– 10:10 a.m. departing Swartz Bay
– 11:15 a.m. departing Village Bay
– 11:50 a.m. departing Otter Bay
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The ferry service had the MV Mayne Queen complete additional round trips between Swartz Bay and Otter Bay at the following times:
– 1:30 p.m. departing Swartz Bay
– 2:15 p.m. departing Otter Bay
