BC Ferries warns of busy terminals after cancelling multiple sailings

VANCOUVER – BC Ferries warns that the Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay terminals will be extremely busy on Sunday after it cancelled several sailings on the popular route.

The ferry operator says an ongoing issue with the Queen of New Westminster's controllable pitch propellers forced it to scuttle the sailings.

The 12 p.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. sailings from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay have been cut, while the 2 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. sailings in the opposite direction have also been cancelled.

Several other vessels — the Spirit of Vancouver Island, Spirit of British Columbia and Coastal Celebration — are still operating on the Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen route.

BC Ferries says travellers with reservations on cancelled sailings will be refunded their reservation fee and accommodated on the next available sailing.

It recommends that customers who don't have a reservation show up well in advance of the sailing they'd like to travel on, whether they're on foot or in a vehicle.

If necessary, it says it will make an additional round trip at the end of the day.