Descanso Bay - Nanaimo Harbour Terminal Projects

Due to construction at Descanso Bay Terminal, some sailing cancellations were required, including the planned evening cancellations Tuesday March 17th and an unplanned cancellation of the first morning round trip Wednesday March 18th.

The work however was completed faster than anticipated, resulting in the reinstatement of the late evening sailings on Wednesday March 18th. Please see the updated Service Notice for details.

The following cancelled sailings have been reinstated:

We thank the community for the feedback they provided on preferred days/times for the cancellations and for their patience during construction.

Water-taxi service

During the sailing cancellations, BC Ferries will provide a foot-passenger water-taxi service between Descanso Bay and Nanaimo Terminal.

BC Ferries is committed to keeping the community informed throughout this project, and we thank customers in advance for their patience and understanding while we complete this critical infrastructure work.

‘What We Heard’ Reports:

Thank you to everyone who attended our recent engagements for the Descanso Bay – Nanaimo Harbour Terminal Projects on October 9, and November 15.

We have reviewed all feedback collected during the engagements and are sharing a project update below, as well as our “What We Heard” reports here: Nanaimo Neighbours virtual meeting and the Gabriola in-person drop-in engagement event.

Project, Construction & Service Updates:

At this time, there are no planned sailing cancellations related to the current construction work underway at Nanaimo Harbour. If cancellations do become necessary, we will make every effort to minimize impacts on customers and will provide a minimum of two weeks’ notice wherever possible.

The service notice has been updated to reflect a revised project timeline. Due to unforeseen delays that can arise during construction work, the planned upgrades at Nanaimo will now extend through to February 2026.

What’s Next:

We appreciate everyone’s patience as we complete this important work and remain committed to keeping you informed as the project progresses.

To stay up to date with project decisions, updates from our teams, and to hear about future sessions, please subscribe to the BC Ferries Projects and to your coastal community page at Let's Connect: Your coastal community | BC Ferries Projects. To subscribe to service notices for sailing cancellations, delays, and other updates, log in or create a MyBCFerries account at bcferries.com.

Thank you to everyone who attended our recent engagements for the Descanso Bay – Nanaimo Harbour Terminal Projects on October 9, and November 15. We appreciated the conversations, questions, and insights shared by community members on Gabriola Island and in Nanaimo.

Missed the events?

If you weren’t able to join us, you can still review the display boards online. A quick look at what the boards covered:

- Project purpose and timelines

- Overview of construction plans

- Anticipated impacts

- Community communication preferences

What’s next?

Over the next 6–8 weeks, our team will be reviewing all feedback collected during the engagements. We will then share an update here on the project page about “What We Heard” and next steps.

Stay tuned

We’ll continue to keep the community informed as the project moves forward and will share updates—including the full engagement summary—as soon as they’re ready.

To stay up to date with project decisions, updates from our teams, and to hear about future sessions, please subscribe to the BC Ferries Projects and to your coastal community page at Let's Connect: Your coastal community | BC Ferries Projects

When we visited the community on June 22, we heard the importance of clarity in a few key areas to allow more meaningful input, including sailing cancellations, alternate service arrangements and project scope. To encourage active participation, we are sharing additional information on these key areas below and have extended the opportunity for online feedback until July 9, understanding that you may need more time to reflect upon the information before participating.

In addition to our in-person session, our teams have met with local government and interest holders, and will continue to reach out and meet with impacted groups.

Sailing Cancelations

Since our project team is in the planning stages for the project, the specific number of sailing cancellations is not confirmed. Sailing cancellations will not be in place for the full duration of the project but will be required to provide a longer consecutive work window for specific complex construction tasks. Major components will be prefabricated ahead of construction to reduce installation times as much as possible.

Recognizing the importance of our sailings as an essential service provider, we are engaging early to better understand the dates and times most important to your community. We will consider community feedback alongside operational needs and traffic budget considerations to limit the impact on the wider community.

Alternate Service During Cancellations: water taxi, parking or shuttle service

Our teams are currently exploring options for alternate service provisions for these cancellations, including a water taxi, additional parking or shuttle service.

A water taxi is planned for the sailing cancellations, with the project team anticipating the service will operate between the Nanaimo Port Authority’s Vessel Visiting Pier and the Regional District of Nanaimo’s emergency wharf directly adjacent to the Descanso Bay terminal.

Provisions for additional parking or a shuttle service are still being considered, alongside traffic data and budget considerations.

Project Timeline

Construction is scheduled to begin in the fall/winter of 2025 to avoid the busy summer season. Work at each terminal is planned to be completed consecutively, beginning at Nanaimo Harbour, to minimize congestion on the route and to reduce the risk of coordinating with numerous contractors on the same route.

Project Scope

This project will life-extend the berths at Descanso Bay and Nanaimo Harbour and will include improvements for vehicle loading. The new apron at Gabriola Harbour will be wider on the vessel end and include a relocated hinge point, which will improve the loading and unloading of the upper galley deck and commercial vehicles during low tides.