Ferries cancels sailings after workers hurt in rescue drill

B.C. Ferries cancelled four sailings between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay after two ferry workers were injured during a rescue drill early Friday morning.

The four sailings aboard the Spirit of Vancouver Island that were cancelled are the 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. trips from Swartz Bay and the 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. departures out of Tsawwassen.

B.C. Ferries blamed the cancellations on an “incident involving one of the ship’s rescue boats,” but the union representing ferry workers said two crew members suffered injuries as the result of a failure with the Spirit of Vancouver Island’s davit — the ship’s crane used for lowering the rescue boat — that resulted in two crew falling into the water from a significant height.

B.C. Ferries CEO Mark Collins told the Times Colonist in Victoria that his company didn’t know much about the state of the crew members’ health but added that “any injury of any type is too much.”

Collins said he didn’t know what went wrong during the drill but confirmed it involved a rescue boat and davit, and said it happened while the boat was docked.

“We are investigating and we will get the answers in the coming days. Right now, the focus is on the health and safety of our crewmates and trying to get all of the travellers out there to their destination today,” he said.

“This is the second time this year there has been a substantial failure regarding rescue boats, and these incidents cause our union deep concern,” said Graeme Johnston, B.C. Ferry & Marine Workers’ Union provincial president.

B.C. Ferries said refunds will be provided to customers who made reservations on the cancelled sailings. The Friday before the Labour Day weekend is traditionally one of the ferry corporation’s busiest days of the year on the Vancouver to Victoria route.