Island Class Scheduling Engagement

Entry of Island Class Vessels on the Campbell River - Quadra Island Route Delayed Until Winter

The introduction of the two new Island Class vessels on the Campbell River - Quadra Island route has been delayed to late 2022/early 2023.

Our teams continue to work hard on filling positions, however the impact of crew shortages on BC Ferries are expected to continue through the fall and are impacting our ability to bring the two new Island Class vessels into service as we remain short of the required number of licensed positions to fully crew the vessels. Crewing teams continue to work hard to fill the vacancies and are utilizing several initiatives to address crew shortages across the company including investing in internal training and advancement, and continuing a significant push on new recruitment.

If you know anyone in your community who is interested in joining BC Ferries, they are encouraged to reach out to our hiring team at hr@bcferries.com and to check out our jobs online at: https://www.bcferries.com/our-company/bc-ferries-jobs.

We know this is not great news for a community that has been patiently waiting for these vessels for quite some time and we can assure you we are doing everything we can to get the required crew in place as quickly as possible. We will continue to keep you updated via this page.

Entry of Island Class Vessels on the Campbell River - Quadra Island Route Delayed Until Fall

As experienced throughout the fall and winter of 2021/22, the impact of crew shortages at BC Ferries is expected to continue through the spring and into summer. While we do not anticipate any major service disruptions on the Campbell River - Quadra Island route this summer, crewing challenges are impacting our ability to bring the two new Island Class vessels into service on the route, and we are anticipating a fall introduction at this time. For the spring and summer, the Powell River Queen will remain on the route on the regular summer schedule as we continue to work on addressing the current crew shortfalls.

We are particularly challenged with hiring licensed crew like chief officers and engineers at the moment and have not been able to find enough crew for the required positions on both vessels just yet. We continue to actively recruit to fill the vacant positions and are advancing several initiatives to address crew shortages across the company including investing in internal training and advancement, implementing a significant push on recruitment, and bringing back retired employees where possible.

Contributing factors to the current crew shortages include higher than expected retirements in key shipboard positions, the impact of vaccination policies and difficulties recruiting international candidates due to COVID-19, as well as the 25-year global shortage of professional mariners. Like so many industries and other ferry service providers around the world, we find ourselves in a challenging time coming out of the pandemic.

This is a dynamic situation and our crewing teams are working very hard to fill the gaps. Please continue to check this page for updates.

Nanaimo Harbour-Gabriola Island: Two Ship Service will Begin April 12, 2022

We are ready to introduce two-ship service on the Nanaimo Harbour-Gabriola Island route effective April 12, 2022!

The two new Island Class ships will replace the MV Quinsam and will provide a 49% increase in vehicle capacity and double the sailing frequency during peak travel times. One vessel will provide 18-hours of service with departure times from each terminal close to what is in place today to avoid disrupting established travel patterns. The second vessel will operate during the busiest 12-hour period of the day from 6:20am to 5:05pm, providing sailings approximately every 35 minutes.

During engagement with the community we heard about the importance of the morning sailing times to support commuters and school children leaving Gabriola. The schedule reflects this input with a new 7:05 am departure from Gabriola. We also heard about the need for easier loading and unloading of foot passengers and have constructed a new separate foot passenger walkway at the Nanaimo Harbour terminal to support this.

New schedules will be online shortly, and will offer the following sailing times:

Campbell River – Quadra Island: Start of Two Ship Service in Final Planning Stages

The start of two-ship service for the Campbell River – Quadra Island route is in the final planning stages. We will update the community as soon as plans are finalized. Please check back here for updates.

Spring schedule changes coming soon

Extra frequency and capacity delivered by the two new Island Class ferries on the Campbell River – Quadra Island and Nanaimo Harbour – Gabriola Island routes are coming soon. Schedules will be available online shortly.

How we’ve responded to community feedback

Earlier this year we engaged with communities on draft schedules for the Campbell River – Quadra Island and Nanaimo Harbour – Gabriola Island routes. We made adjustments based on the feedback we heard and will continue to review the schedules as the ships and crew settle into their new routines.

Here’s what we heard from the communities, and how we responded:

Feedback from Campbell River – Quadra Island

Other community questions included:

What are the plans for electrification of the vessels?

The Island Class are fitted for full electric operation once shore charging infrastructure is available. We continue to work on the long-term plans for full electrification of the vessels.

Feedback from Nanaimo Harbour - Gabriola Island

Other community questions included:

How will the new vessels impact the ability to carry commercial traffic on this route?

The extra ship will increase capacity for vehicles and provide more sailing opportunities for commercial traffic. Overall, the higher capacity will reduce the competing needs for deck space between smaller vehicles and larger commercial vehicles. Combined, we expect these factors will reduce the likelihood and potential impact of sailing waits for all vehicles.

Where will the second Island Class vessel be tied up when it is not in service?

The second Island Class vessel will be tied up at the Nanaimo Harbour Authority’s Visiting Vessel Pier on Cameron Island when it is not in service. We expect the vessel to have minimal impact on nearby residents as lights, generators etc. will not be running while the vessel is at dock. We are in direct contact with the strata councils on Cameron Island to communicate our plans and answer any questions or concerns residents may have.

What are the plans for electrification of the vessels?

The Island Class are fitted for full electric operation once shore charging infrastructure is available. We continue to work on the long-term plans for full electrification of the vessels.

Schedules will be reviewed over the coming months

We will continue to evaluate the new Island Class schedules through the first few months of service. This evaluation period provides us with an opportunity to make adjustments as the ships and crew settle into their new routines.

We will be conducting further trials on the Nanaimo Harbour – Gabriola Island route to give us more information about crossing and in-port times. Adjustments to the published schedule are possible pending the outcomes of these activities.

Learn more about the Island Class ferries

Watch the Campbell River Mirror and the Gabriola Sounder for ongoing communications about the new Island Class ferries. We will provide you with an inside look at the operational aspects and the backstory on these newest vessels to our fleet. You can also visit our Island Class webpage on bcferries.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news.

Summary of Engagement Results

Between March 15 and April 12 1,400 people visited this online engagement page to review information and provide feedback on the proposed two-ship schedules for the Campbell River - Quadra Island and Nanaimo Harbour - Gabriola Island routes. A quick synopsis of engagement results for each route can be found below. Full reports can be found by clicking the links below or in the Documents section on the right-hand side of this page.

Campbell River - Quadra Island

• Engagement Summary Report
• Detailed Engagement Report

Nanaimo Harbour - Gabriola Island

• Engagement Summary Report
• Detailed Engagement Report

Campbell River - Quadra Island
Synopsis of Engagement Results for Proposed Two-Ship Schedule

125 people provided feedback on the proposed two-ship schedule

Engagement activities included:

• Two virtual meetings with the Ferry Advisory Committee representing the Campbell River - Quadra Island and Quadra Island - Cortes Island routes
• A three-week online engagement
• One virtual community meeting.

Through engagement:

• 55.6% of online engagement participants indicated that they feel the proposed schedule meets most or all of the most important community needs
• 35.4% feel it doesn’t meet community needs

Key considerations for improving the proposed schedule included:

• Providing service on the hour and half-hour
• Providing two-ship service later in the day
• Accounting for the impacts on the Quadra Island – Cortes Island route

Nanaimo Harbour - Gabriola Island
Synopsis of Engagement Results for Proposed Two-Ship Schedule

141 people provided feedback on the proposed two-ship schedule

Engagement activities included:

• Two virtual meetings with the Ferry Advisory Committee representing the Nanaimo Harbour – Gabriola Island route
• A three-week online engagement
• One virtual community meeting.

Through engagement:

• 57% of online engagement participants indicated that they feel the proposed schedule meets most or all of the most important community needs
• 33% feel it doesn’t meet community needs

Key considerations for improving the proposed schedule included:

• The addition of a sailing during busy morning sailing times to ensure school children and commuters are accommodated
• Closing the gap in evening sailing times to provide school children and shift workers with more options for returning home at the end of the day

Thank you to everyone who participated in our virtual community meetings and our online engagement!

We appreciate the feedback! We'll be reviewing the results and publishing a report so you can see what we heard in the coming weeks. We'll also be making refinements to the proposed schedules and will be releasing these shortly.

Please stay tuned to this page for a report on the engagement results, and more information on the final schedules for two-ship service on your route.