BC Ferries’ Queen of Chilliwack performed an “adequate” job while replacing the Queen of Burnaby on the Powell River to Comox route, according to BC Ferries.
In terms of on-time performance, which means that a sailing departed within 10 minutes of the scheduled time, the Chilliwack performed generally in the mid-80 per cent range. During the vessel’s first week on the route there were numerous delays due to weather, high traffic numbers and the crew getting used to the loading procedure for the vessel, which differs from the Queen of Burnaby.
During the month of October, after the vessel’s troubled first week at the end of September, the ship had an on-time performance of 81.9 per cent. This improved to 85.9 per cent in November and again improved to 87.9 per cent in December.
Over its time on the route the vessel carried approximately 29,000 vehicles. Overloads left behind 550 vehicle units over the course of the Chilliwack’s placement. BC Ferries reported this to mean that 98.1 per cent of customers were transported on their desired sailing.
Out of 658 scheduled crossings, 34 were cancelled due to weather and a further four due to an incident at Little River where a fuel truck jackknifed on the loading ramp and damaged the ramp. Added up this means the Chilliwack carried out 94.2 per cent of its scheduled sailings.
“The Queen of Chilliwack performed an adequate job on the Comox run while she was there,” said Deborah Marshall, BC Ferries spokesperson. “We certainly recognize it’s not a new vessel. This sort of heightens the awareness that we do need to continue modernizing our fleet...We’ve heard feedback from the customers, we’re aware that it’s not their favourite vessel, they prefer the Burnaby, but unfortunately we just don’t have extra relief vessels.”
Queen of Burnaby returned to the route on Friday, December 16 after undergoing a refit. On its first day back the vessel’s elevator, which had undergone “modernization” during the refit, failed to work. The elevator is back in service and Marshall said BC Ferries expects no further malfunctions.
The Burnaby had been undergoing a refit since September 26, the cost of which is estimated to have been $12 million. Queen of Chilliwack will now be undergoing phase two of a life-extension project, starting in January 2012.
The refit on the Burnaby included an overhaul of the generators, port main engine, bow thruster and propulsion system, along with modernization of the elevator system, steel renewal of the main car deck, installation of a new sewage treatment holding tank, abatement of asbestos, new flooring in the washrooms and regulatory surveys.
“We want to thank our Powell River customers for their patience for the past three months while a smaller vessel provided service on their route,” said Mike Corrigan, BC Ferries executive vice-president and chief operating officer. “We are pleased to make this major investment to the Queen of Burnaby to ensure its safety and reliability for years to come.”
Morning sailings leaving from Comox at 6:30 am and Powell River at 8:10 am will be cancelled on Sunday, December 25 and Sunday, January 1.
