BC Ferries has a big vessel problem ahead of an extremely busy long weekend.
BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jiminez spoke to reporters on Thursday morning, talking about some of the issues the organization is dealing with and what the potential solutions might be, which, in the long term, could include potential fare increases.
He also said this Easter Long Weekend period is one of the busiest of the year.
“We currently have two major vessels unavailable during one of our busiest travel periods in the spring,” Jiminez said.
The Easter long weekend will mean lots of folks travelling over to the island regions that BC Ferries services, but the agency will have to do so without the Spirit of Vancouver Island, which serves the major route between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay, and the Queen of Surrey, which operates between the Sunshine Coast and Horseshoe Bay.
The Spirit of Vancouver Island is dealing with a generator issue, while the Queen of Surrey, which was built in 1981, is experiencing delays in return from an annual refit.
“We know how frustrating this is, especially heading into a busy travel period like Easter,” BC Ferries Vice President of Engineering Stephen Jones said in a release yesterday.
Today, Jiminez said that the organization “can’t point to one single solution” that would’ve helped avoid the situation it’s in. He was able to point to several other problems, though, like the aging fleet of vessels and not having enough of them, but ensured that major investments are being made to hopefully avoid situations like this in the future.
“BC Ferries is advancing a significant fleet renewal program to replace aging vessels and improve system reliability, including four more new Island Class vessels, with the first expected to arrive in B.C. in the coming months, and four New Major Vessels scheduled to begin entering service starting in 2029, with all four expected to be in operation by 2031,” BC Ferries says.
Jiminez says he hopes to have good news regarding the fate of the Spirit of Vancouver Island tomorrow.
Jiminez also said the organization is dealing with a potable water issue that may have been contaminated with E. coli, including more testing, and ensuring that folks aren’t drinking affected water and that kitchen staff aren’t using it to prepare food.
#ServiceNotice Potable water on board the Salish Heron will not be available for drinking or food preparation as the vessel returns to service from refit this afternoon. Bottled water will be available on board.
For more: https://t.co/5LnKefsYea ^ao
— BC Ferries (@BCFerries) April 2, 2026
Jiminez was asked by reporters how he could pitch a potential fare increase when service isn’t reliable. He responded by saying service is very reliable, but that the system has challenges, including the requirement of huge investments to modernize the fleet and the infrastructure.
He also said systems like this require a lot of money to run.
Jiminez also said that BC Ferries is working extra hard to prepare for a surge of people expected in the region thanks to the FIFA World Cup.
You can find more up-to-date info on the BC Ferries website.