Extra sailings are being added between Duke Point and Tsawwassen in a bid to lure travellers away from the smaller Departure Bay terminal. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

shuffled sailings

New Nanaimo-Lower Mainland BC Ferries schedules take effect

Jun 25, 2023 | 6:13 AM

NANAIMO — A new configuration for sailings between the central Island and Lower Mainland is now in place.

Beginning Sunday, June 25, BC Ferries have shifted some sailings from its Departure Bay-Horseshoe Bay schedule to the Duke Point-Tsawwassen route.

The moves are designed to alleviate terminal capacity issues at the smaller terminals in Nanaimo and West Vancouver.

Ten sailings per day will travel between Nanaimo’s Duke Point and Tsawwassen, up from the previous eight during the spring months. First boats will leave each side at 5:15 a.m., with the final daily departures scheduled for 10:45 p.m.

Seven sailings per day will connect Nanaimo’s Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay, leaving roughly every two and a half hours from 6:25 a.m. to 10:40 p.m. daily.

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Changes for Departure Bay took effect Thursday, June 22 as BC Ferries implemented its summer sailing schedule.

Despite a hiring push which reportedly netted the company 1,200 new employees ahead of the busy summer sailing season, BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez is warning travellers of delays and cancellations.

“Even though we have more people, we are short backup staff in key positions to cover unexpected absences. I hope customers will continue to offer their understanding as we grapple with retirements and a global shortage of 21,000 professional mariners.”

During the summer of 2022, BC Ferries cancelled roughly 300 sailings due to being unable to properly staff boats according to Transport Canada guidelines.

“The issues we’re facing are complex and while we’re hiring more people, boosting training budgets and cross-training staff so they can be re-deployed in areas of greatest need, getting to long-term reliability and sustainability will take time,” Jimenez added.

BC Ferries say they’re expecting 2.6 million vehicles and seven million people to use the network over the coming months.

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