B.C. Ferries has cancelled the 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. sailings out of both Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen on Tuesday because of an expected storm.
The 7:45 a.m. sailing departing Duke Point (Nanaimo) and the 10:15 a.m. sailing departing Tsawwassen (Vancouver) have also been cancelled, but the following sailings previously at risk of cancellation are expected to sail as scheduled:
- 7:45 a.m. departing Tsawwassen (Vancouver)
- 10:15 a.m. departing Duke Point (Nanaimo)
Any additional schedule changes will be and the company’s website at , said B.C. Ferries, adding it is consulting with meteorologists.
News of the cancellations followed elevator problems Monday on the Queen of Cowichan, which runs between Departure Bay in Nanaimo and Horseshoe Bay on the mainland and between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale.
Portable toilets were installed on the ferry’s main vehicle deck late Sunday to serve passengers who can’t use stairs, after the vessel’s two elevators went out of service at 7 p.m.
Elevators connect the vehicle deck with passenger decks, where washrooms are located. With elevators out of service, stairways provided the only access for passengers.
Under Transport Canada rules, drivers are not allowed to remain in vehicles in an enclosed deck on a ferry. On the Langdale-Horseshoe Bay run, the ferry’s doors were left open to ensure the deck was not enclosed to allow passengers to stay in their vehicles.
On the Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay run, customers in vehicles who needed elevator access to passenger decks were informed at the ticket booth of the elevator situation and offered the option of travelling at a later time, a B.C. Ferries official said.
The 456-foot-long Queen of Cowichan was built in 1976. It can carry 1,494 passengers and crew and up to 312 vehicles.
