The following is the text of a news release from BC Ferries:
(VICTORIA, British Columbia) — Queen of Burnaby will be back on the Comox-Powell River route Wednesday, Jan 27. BC Ferries has completed the required repairs to the propeller hub and will bring the ship back into service, minimizing further impacts to customers.
Island Sky will return to the Earls Cove-Saltery Bay route and North Island Princess will return to the Powell River-Texada Island route with regular schedules for all three routes back in effect Jan 27.
“We would like to thank customers for their patience while this critical repair was carried out,” said Corrine Storey, BC Ferries’ vice president of customer services. “Although the schedule changes and disruption in service were not ideal, we are pleased the ship could get back to regular service in just a few weeks. We certainly apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
Queen of Burnaby is now over 50 years old and will be retired later this year. A new $84 million vessel, Salish Orca, is currently under construction and will replace Queen of Burnaby by the end of this year.
In recent years, BC Ferries has invested $30 million to upgrade and rebuild the berths at Little River and Powell River, and over $2 million in upgrades at Saltery Bay and Earls Cove terminals. One of the newest ships in the fleet, Island Sky, services the Earls Cove-Saltery Bay route.
“These major investments in the Northern Sunshine Coast will ensure safe and reliable service for many years to come for Powell River,” said Storey.
Under contract to the Province of British Columbia, BC Ferries is the service provider responsible for the delivery of safe, efficient and dependable ferry service along coastal British Columbia.