spate<\/a> of mechanical issues for several ferries in the past few months.<\/p>\n\u201cWe know how frustrating it is for our customers when sailings are delayed or cancelled, and that\u2019s exactly why all these preparations matter,\u201d said Melanie Lucia, B.C. Ferries vice-president of customer experience. \u201cIt\u2019s the work we do in the months leading up to peak season to prepare the fleet, strengthen operations and be ready to minimize the impact of disruptions and respond when they do happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite all of the planning, she said there will be times when sailings are full, and terminals are congested.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo our message to customers is simple,\u201d she said. \u201cPlan ahead, book early, travel off-peak where possible and give yourself plenty of extra time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brian Anderson,\u00a0B.C. Ferries vice-president of strategy and planning, said added demand will include travel linked to World Cup games held in Vancouver.<\/p>\n
He said the ferry system is \u201clarge and complex,\u201d and includes 37 vessels plying 25 routes to 47 terminals.<\/p>\n
Summer preparations have included refits on 22 vessels and the completion of regular maintenance on the rest of the fleet. More than 630 seasonal employees have been hired to reduce the possibility of crewing-related cancellations.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur focus is on delivering reliable service with the fleet and capacity we have today, while planning for the additional vessels needed to support expected future demand,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But with the level of demand and fleet limitations, he said, there is little flexibility to bring in replacement vessels if a breakdown occurs.<\/p>\n
Anderson said that B.C. Ferries is monitoring fuel price volatility tied to geopolitical events as the summer season nears, with any decision on the need for a temporary fuel surcharge to be shared in advance with the public.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know affordability matters, and we don\u2019t make these decisions lightly,\u201d he said. \u201cGlobal fuel prices have increased significantly in recent weeks, with no clear indication they will ease in the short term.\u201d<\/p>\n
B.C. Ferries experienced a rough few weeks this spring. This included having to take three ferries out of service on the Easter long weekend, including the Queen of Surrey \u2014 which runs between Tsawwassen and Duke Point \u2014 after problems were found during a routine refit.<\/p>\n
Also out of service were the Spirit of Vancouver Island from the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay route, due to a generator issue, and the Pune\u2019luxutth, which runs from Chemainus to Penelakut and Thetis islands.<\/p>\n
The Pune\u2019luxutth had to be pulled from duty after hitting a large tire in the ocean, which became lodged in its propeller.<\/p>\n
B.C. Ferries chief executive Nicholas Jimenez said at the time that it was not the level of service customers want, and tied the problems to a combination of factors, including aging vessels, a shortage of vessels, unexpected breakdowns and a tight schedule for vessel refits.<\/p>\n
Anderson said 10.3 million passengers and 4.1 million vehicles were carried on the ferries last summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many people, ferry travel is not optional; it\u2019s how they get to work, access health care, connect with family and move goods,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cWe anticipate that demand for ferry travel will continue to grow, especially during peak season when the system is under the most pressure.<\/p>\n
[email\u00a0protected]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"B.C. Ferries says there will be 1,800 extra round-trip sailings starting June 11 in anticipation of a busier-than-normal…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":668294,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[45,49,48],"class_list":["post-668293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668293\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/668294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}