Duke Point vessel shelved after refit
Operator fault — equipmentCompensable
A vessel just out of annual refit couldn't stay in service — control-system faults cancelled sailings on a major Vancouver Island route for days.
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The facts
| Date | Early April 2026 |
| Route | Tsawwassen – Duke Point (Nanaimo) (Route 30 (TSA–DUK)) |
| Terminal affected | Tsawwassen / Duke Point |
| Cause | Post-refit steering / propulsion control failure |
| Cause category | Infrastructure / equipment — within operator control (not weather) |
| Resolution | BC Ferries ran a modified schedule while engineers worked through the control-system faults. |
What happened
A vessel serving the Tsawwassen–Duke Point route was repeatedly pulled from service in early April after problems were found with its newly replaced steering and propulsion control systems during post-refit commissioning. Multiple daily sailings were cancelled across several days. BC Ferries' VP of engineering acknowledged issues found with the steering system.
- The route's vessel returned from annual refit in early April.
- Newly replaced steering and propulsion control systems failed commissioning checks.
- Multiple daily sailings were cancelled over several days.
- BC Ferries acknowledged the control-system problems publicly.