Tuesday March 31, 2026 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The starboard generator mechanical issue with on the Spirit of Vancouver Island BC Ferries vessel that services the major Swartz-Bay-Tsawwassen route between Victoria and Vancouver has happened again.
The was returned to service on Sunday (March 29) but has once again seen mechanical challenges.
Several sailings have been cancelled or rescheduled.
The Spirit of Vancouver Island has a carrying capacity of 358 vehicles and 2,100 passengers and crew.
Revised schedule for March 31:
The revised schedule for today includes four extra sailings, says BC Ferries.
Cancelled Sailings for March 31:
11:00 am departing Swartz Bay
1:00 pm departing Tsawwassen
3:00 pm departing Swartz Bay
5:00 pm departing Tsawwassen
7:00 pm departing Swartz Bay
9:00 pm departing Tsawwassen
Supplemental Sailings for March 31:
4:00 pm departing Tsawwassen
6:00 pm departing Swartz Bay
8:00 pm departing Swartz Bay
10:00 pm departing Tsawwassen
Previously, there was a revised schedule for March 23 to 30 for Swartz-Bay-Tsawwassen sailings.
Busy Easter weekend:
“Our focus is on keeping people moving and minimizing disruption, especially as we head into a busy Easter long weekend,” says BC Ferries.
Busy travel days will be seen of the Easter long weekend from Friday April 3 through Monday April 6.
Customers impacted by cancellations are being contacted directly with rebooking options or refunds, says BC Ferries.
Background:
This week’s failed generator is the same one that was impacted last week. “Our engineering team is currently assessing the extent of the issue,” says BC Ferries.
Need more vessels:
“This is exactly the kind of situation where an additional relief vessel would help,” says BC Ferries, an essential service that lags behind in bringing new vessels into the fleet.
“We’re actively renewing the fleet, with four new major vessels under construction and the first arriving in 2029,” said BC Ferries in a statement to Island Social Trends this afternoon.
“Last year, we put forward a business case identifying the need for five new vessels to provide real backup capacity. That wasn’t approved, and decisions on fleet expansion aren’t within our control, but we’ll continue to advocate for it. Without that extra vessel, there’s limited ability to absorb disruptions like this,” says BC Ferries.
Essential service:
Travel to and from Vancouver Island from the mainland is an essential service within the travel system for coastal BC.
This is the busy spring break period (and soon the Easter long weekend coming up starting Friday April 3) for many families and visitors.
“We know you have important places to be,” says BC Ferries to their customers, and apologizes for inconveniences.
Further info:
For up-to-date sailing and departure information, check Current Conditions, follow @BCFerries on X or phone 1-888-223-3779 for further assistance.
===== RELATED:
- BC Ferries returns repaired vessel to Victoria-Vancouver route on March 29 (March 29, 2026)
- BC Ferries cancels seven Vancouver-Victoria March 22 sailings (March 22, 2026)
- Four delayed Vancouver-Victoria BC Ferries sailings March 20 (March 20, 2026)
- BC Ferries launches 10th Island Class vessel (March 19, 2026)
- Dec 22 BC Ferries cancellations disrupt holiday travel (December 22, 2025)
- Eby continues to hammer away at better federal ferry funding (July 7, 2025)
- East-west difference in federal funding to coastal ferries (June 17, 2025)
- BC Ferries four new major vessels to be constructed in China (June 10, 2025)
- NEWS SECTIONS: BC FERRIES | SOUTH VANCOUVER ISLAND | TRAFFIC | EVENTS | COMMUNITY CALENDAR