Coastal Celebration ferry accidents and incidents

17 July 2023Structural and Technical Issues

On July 17, 2023, two crossings on the route Metro Vancouver-Vancouver Island (Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay/Victoria BC) were canceled due to technical issues as the ship was temporarily taken out of service for assessment and urgent repairs.

On the morning of July 17th, Coastal Celebration reported oil leakage from the propeller hub. To allow for an assessment of the issue, two departures (10 am and 12 pm/from Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay, respectively) were canceled.

As the problem was fixed in time, the 2 pm crossing (from Swartz Bay) was only delayed. A dockside dive was scheduled (in Tsawwassen) for assessing the extent of the damage and creating a detailed plan for the needed repair works.

Note: In the period June 30 - July 2 (Canada Day long weekend) Coastal Celebration underwent maintenance-related downtime (for fixing the oil leaking problem) but BC Ferries failed to find a suitable service provider for the necessary repairs.

04 November 2015Crew / Passenger Crimes

(overboard) On November 4, 2015, while en-route from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen, a male passenger launched one of the ship's liferafts (inflatable boats), then jumped overboard. The man swam to Galiano Island, where was later arrested.

05 May 2011Ship Collision / Allision

On May 5, 2011, due to human error (Navigation Bridge officer on duty), the ship collided with the Swartz Bay's dock.

While there were no injuries in the accident, damages to the ferry and the berth were estimated at ~CAD 470,000.

Note: Actually, this type of marine accident is called “allision” (striking a fixed object) as opposed to “collision” (striking another vessel).