With the Spirit of Vancouver Island sidelined, BC Ferries is set to provide an update about its plans to manage demand for the Easter long weekend Thursday morning.
The company has already been forced to cancel several sailings this week between Swartz Bay in Victoria and Tsawwassen.
BC Ferries told 1130 News Radio Tuesday that The Spirit of Vancouver Island is out of service due to a generator issue, the same generator that took the vessel out of service last week.
BC Ferries spokesperson Ceilidh Marlow says Easter is one of their busiest times of year.
“It’s actually our fourth busiest long weekend of the year,” said Marlow.
“Last year on the major routes, we carried over 100,000 vehicles and over 300,000 passengers just over the long weekend alone. And we expect similarly high demand this year.”
Marlow says mechanical issues can happen as the BC Ferries fleet continues to age.
“Our oldest ship is over 60 years old now, and so it is a constant balancing act.”
She says crews are working hard on vessel maintenance.
“And we’re actually still in refit season at this time, so the Easter long weekend is always an interesting one for us.”
She says passengers always need to plan ahead when travelling at peak times.
“You absolutely need a reservation,” said Marlow.
“There are still limited reservations available throughout the long weekend on the major routes. So I would say book early if you can. And travelling off-peak, so sort of early morning, later in the evening, would give you access to those lower cost saver fares.”
BC Ferries has posted a revised schedule for its busiest route, which will be in effect until April 8.
Company officials will hold a media briefing on the topic of “recent mechanical issues and service disruptions, potable water precautions, and operational impacts” at 11 a.m. Thursday.
On Wednesday, BC Ferries said that the mechanical issue will cause further cancellations between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay in the days ahead and into the Easter weekend.
Passengers whose sailings are cancelled will receive a refund.
The company adds that BC Ferries’ customer service centre will reach out to customers who have booked one of the cancelled sailings and try to put the passengers on alternate sailings.
“We know how frustrating this is, especially heading into a busy travel period like Easter,” said Stephen Jones, vice president of engineering at BC Ferries.
“Our crews and engineering teams are highly experienced and are working around the clock to safely return both vessels to service as quickly as possible. These are complex systems, and while this work is critical to ensuring the vessels operate safely and reliably, it can take time to fully resolve issues – particularly as vessels age.”
The revised schedule for April 1 to April 8 is the following:
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–With files from Jan Schuermann