Vehicle passengers aboard an afternoon sailing between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen were stuck on the vessel for hours after the ferry was damaged while docking.
The Spirit of Vancouver Island had “a hard landing” when it hit the dock in Tsawwassen around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, said B.C. Ferries communications manager Tessa Humphries.
“There were no injuries, but there was some damage sustained by the boat. The damage is toward the bow end of the upper vehicle deck,” she said.
As of 8:50, the passengers were still on the boat.
Crews were performing welding work to lower the ship’s ramp in order to offload passengers, Humphries said. Vehicles on the lower car deck and foot passengers were not affected.
It was not known when the repairs might be finished.
“At this point in time, they are still doing that work so that we can determine a solution to unload those vehicles safely,” Humphries said.
Ferry passenger numbers have been down about 80 per cent in recent weeks due to COVID-19 and vessels are operating at a maximum of 50 per cent capacity. Humphries estimated the upper vehicle deck on the boat is about half full.
“We certainly do apologize to our customers onboard and appreciate their patience,” she said.
Ferry crews have been walking the deck to touch base with passengers and hand out water, Humphries said.
The incident led to the cancellation of a 5 p.m. departure from Tsawwassen and a 7 p.m. sailing out of Swartz Bay.
B.C. Ferries added a round trip leaving Tsawwassen at 9 p.m. and Swartz Bay at 11 p.m.
regan-elliott@timescolonist.com
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