BC Ferries says the Queen of Cumberland will be back in service by Friday, May 18, making holiday travel to the Gulf Islands a less daunting prospect for the upcoming Victoria Day long weekend.
A press release issued Thursday states that with Queen of Cumberland repair work progressing as planned, the vessel will return to service on the Swartz Bay-Southern Gulf Islands route. Regular Southern Gulf Islands schedules as published on bcferries.com will be effective for the long weekend, and customers can plan their travel accordingly.
The vessel was removed from service last month due to a malfunction with a rescue boat davit. The piece of equipment that raises and lowers the rescue boat is being replaced and the vessel will be recertified prior to returning to service.
Various other ships helped cover the Swartz Bay-Southern Gulf Islands route in the meantime, which led to some lack of coverage on the Tsawwassen-Gulf Islands route and chaos due to scheduling changes.
“We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced as a result of the temporary service that has been in place,” BC Ferries told customers.
For traffic updates or more information, follow @BCFerries on Twitter, visit the website or call toll free at 1-888-BCFERRY (223-3779).