Staff shortages and ongoing maintenance at BC Ferries have resulted in the cancellation of numerous sailings, Saturday.
The company announced late Friday that it had been unsuccessful in sourcing replacement crews for multiple trips between the Island and Mainland, as well as the Southern Gulf Islands.
In total, eight sailings were cancelled for March 25. The cancellations affected Coastal Celebration, The Queen of Cumberland, and the Salish Raven.
Coastal Celebration, which runs between Vancouver and Victoria saw cancellations for its 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. sailings. Further sailings are expected to run as scheduled.
The Queen of Cumberland, which services the Southern Gulf Islands from Victoria, continues to undergo repairs and as a result cannot run the usual 9:45 p.m. departure from Saltery Bay and the 10:40 p.m. departure from Earls Cove.
And the Salish Raven, which services the Southern Gulf Islands from Vancouver, had to make several cancellations due to staff shortages, as seen below.
#ServiceNotice As we have been unsuccessful in securing the required number of crew for the #SalishRaven, the following sailings have been cancelled:
5:50 am ex #SwartzBay
7:10 am ex #SturdiesBay
7:45 am ex #VillageBay
8:30 am ex #OtterBayMore here: https://t.co/twpUN2DX83 ^jr
— BC Ferries (@BCFerries) March 25, 2023
As a result of the cancellations aboard the Salish Raven BC Ferries has modified the schedule for its sister ship, the Salish Heron.
“The decision to cancel a sailing in these circumstances is made when we have exhausted all options to find replacement crew,” read a statement on the BC Ferries website.
“That said, if circumstances change and a replacement crew becomes available, we will notify customers immediately.”
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Roger Collins
