BC Ferries head says service remains reliable despite vessel disruptions

The president of BC Ferries is defending service levels after disruptions this week caused by two major vessels being taken out of service, but adds he plans to revisit a rejected request for a fifth new vessel to address capacity issues.

Nicolas Jimenez made the comments Thursday after the Spirit of Vancouver Island on the Tsawwassen—Swartz Bay route was knocked out of service on Tuesday with a generator problem that was supposed to have been fixed when it returned to service days before.

The outage coincided with the Queen of Surrey on the Tsawwassen—Duke Point run also being taken out of service this week when refit work found additional problems that prevented its scheduled return, leading to cancellations and delays on both routes.

“While it may not feel like it, these kinds of significant impacts are rare,” Jimenez said. “We operate our vessels at over-99-per-cent reliability, but we also know that on days like this, that’s not what it feels like.”

He said there were “a combination of factors” leading to the disruptions that had no single solution.

Among the biggest problems highlighted by recent troubles was the need for a fifth new vessel in the ferry fleet — a proposal rejected by the independent British Columbia Ferries Commissioner last March, Jimenez said.

The commissioner did approve capital expenditure for the purchase of four new major vessels for BC Ferries, but rejected the request for a fifth ship.

At the time, Commissioner Eva Hage said that while the four new vessels are needed to replace legacy ferries and improve capacity, a fifth ship “is neither essential nor affordable at this time” and “approving it would be fiscally irresponsible.

“It would put even more upward pressure on fares, place an even greater burden on taxpayers, and may lead to unsustainable debt levels at BC Ferries,” Hage said.

Jimenez said Thursday that a fifth vessel is especially crucial given BC Ferries is dealing with upkeep on ships that are older than those being operated by similar services around the world, Jimenez said.

“Ultimately, those decisions sit outside of BC Ferries, but we will not be deterred,” he said. “We will continue to push for a solution that builds more resiliency into the system so that it can recover more effectively when things go wrong.”

The ferry operator will meet with the commissioner in September for its next regulatory performance term proposal, and Jimenez said the request for a fifth ferry will be “front of mind.”

However, he said a fare increase may not be out of the question either way, given the current system is already under significant financial pressure to maintain service levels.

“Building that resiliency will require broader choices, whether that’s additional investment, fare increases, or a combination of both,” he said. “As we know, they’re not easy conversations, but they’re important ones. Because what customers are experiencing this week, it shows why this matters.”

The disruptions also come in addition to a near-miss on the North Coast on March 8 involving the Northern Adventure sailing from Bella Bella to Prince Rupert, when the crew was preparing for bad weather and the ship inadvertently travelled over a shoal with just nine meters of water depth.

Jimenez said an internal review is underway, and a detailed report has been submitted to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

Both ships sidelined in the Metro Vancouver-Vancouver Island routes this week may be able to return to service by the end of the weekend, he said.

The disruptions come just ahead of the Easter long weekend, traditionally among the busiest travel times for the ferry service.

Jimenez said engineering teams are working “around the clock” to minimize delays and disruptions, but passengers looking to travel on BC Ferries this weekend should consider walking on or using public transit instead of driving, especially those without reservations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2026.

Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press