Update: Queen of Cumberland

The Queen of Cumberland returned to serve the Swartz Bay to Southern Gulf Islands routes April 4, 2023.

While emergency maintenance was completed on the vessel during its service as a replacement vessel for the Malaspina Sky, ongoing mechanical issues with the right angle drive may cause sailing delays. We had hoped to have the issue solved earlier however the part required is on back-order. Repairs are now planned for the week of April 10.

Why can the Salish Heron not remain on the route, while the Queen of Cumberland is repaired?

The Salish Heron is required on Route 9a (Tsawwassen – Southern Gulf Islands) to provide service over the Easter long weekend.

Why was the Queen of Cumberland not repaired prior to coming back to Route 5?

While our teams had hoped to have the repairs completed prior to returning the Cumberland to service for the Southern Gulf Islands, the part was not available until after the in-service date.

When will the Queen of Cumberland be fixed?

Repairs are currently planned to take place the week of April 10. To avoid disruption in service, the work will be conducted in the evening after the last sailing. Once the dates have been confirmed for the repairs, we will update the community.

We will continue to update the community via Service Notices should a significant delay occur on any of these routes. These can be viewed on our website, or you can receive notifications on your mobile device or tablet, by downloading the BC Ferries app.

We truly appreciate the community’s patience and apologize for any inconvenience experienced as a result of the possible sailing delays.