NANAIMO — A motor failure is to blame for a six-sailing service cancellation on the Duke Point-Tsawwassen B.C. Ferries route.
The five-year-old, German-built Coastal Inspiration was taken out of service mid-afternoon Monday after the loaded vessel arrived at Duke Point.
Travellers watched, dumbfounded, as the vessel passed the dock without stopping. It was later towed into its berth.
The crew realized during the approach that the vessel could not be safely brought to a stop and steered the ship clear of the dock.
The last-minute manoeuvre avoided a repeat of a “hard landing” that caused $3 million in damages to the same terminal and ferry in December 2011.
That crash was blamed on a failed electrical part that had to be replaced by the manufacturer.
“This is a completely separate issue as to what happened to the Inspiration in December of 2011,” said B.C. Ferries spokesman Darin Guenette.
“It was not related at all, it was not the same component, just a random event that could happen to any vessel. It essentially involved a starter on one of the main motors, just like you have on your car.”
The ferry was taken out of commission at 3:15 p.m. A spare part was installed by 10 p.m.
But because no one knew how long the repair would take, the decision had already been made to cancel the ship’s first two sailings on Tuesday.
