It was a frustrating morning for hundreds of passengers aboard the BC Ferries Spirit of Vancouver Island on Tuesday.
The vessel, sailing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, suffered a mechanical issue shortly after loading, which forced the cancellation of the 9 a.m. sailing.
A Global News crew, heading to Vancouver Island, was on board the ferry when the lights flickered.
The crew then came on the PA system and said there had been an electrical problem and they were trying to get a backup generator started.
About 20 minutes later, still in dock at Tsawwassen, they made another announcement saying two generators were down and the ship would not be able to sail.
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“We’ve lost two of our generators; we cannot sail,” the captain said over the PA system. “We’re going to ask passengers to return to their vehicles.”
Every vehicle then had to back off the ferry to unload.
The Spirit of Vancouver Island has only been back in service for two days. It broke down over spring break and only became operational again on Sunday.
In a service notice, BC Ferries said some sailings have been cancelled on Tuesday and a revised schedule is in place.
Cancelled Sailings for March 31:
- 11 a.m. departing Swartz Bay
- 1 p.m. departing Tsawwassen
- 3 p.m. departing Swartz Bay
- 5 p.m. departing Tsawwassen
- 7 p.m. departing Swartz Bay
- 9 p.m. departing Tsawwassen
Supplemental Sailings for March 31:
- 4 p.m. departing Tsawwassen
- 6 p.m. departing Swartz Bay
- 8 p.m. departing Swartz Bay
- 10 p.m. departing Tsawwassen
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