Spirit of Vancouver Island ferry accidents and incidents

18 April 2020Ship Collision / Allision

(pier collision/allision) On April 18, 2020, upon berthing in homeport Tsawwassen (Delta City, BC Canada), the ship collided with the pier.

The accident resulted in severe ramp damages (reportedly, it was destroyed). BC FERRIES' stated that the ship "experienced a hard landing". The ferry departed Swartz Bay (BC Canada) at 3 PM and arrived in Tsawwassen at ~4:30 PM.

No injuries among the passengers or crew were reported. The passengers were disembarked at ~9 PM after welders repaired some of the damages so the wheeled cargo (trucks and cars) could drive off. Some passengers were stuck for ~4 hours. Due to the accident, BC Ferries canceled two Spirit of Vancouver Island crossings but added 2 more (with the fleetmate and sistership Spirit of British Columbia) on the route Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay.

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

31 August 2018Crew / Passenger Injuries and Overboards

On August 31, 2018, two male crew were injured during rescue drill early in the morning. Following the accident, BC Ferries canceled 4 crossings between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay. The 4 canceled cruises were 7 am and 11 am departures from Swartz Bay and 9 am and 1 pm departures from Tsawwassen.

The accident involved one of the ship’s rescue boats. According to the union representing ferry crew, both men suffered injuries as a result of a davit failure (crane used for lowering boats). As a result, the men fell into the water from a significant height.

09 October 2009Fire Accident

On October 9, 2009, in the early morning, while en-route from Swartz Bay (BC Canada), an onboard standby generator caught fire. No injuries were reported. The accident caused serious delays and 8 crossings were canceled.

The ferry remained out of service for repairs through November 2009.

13 July 2003Ship Collision / Allision

(pier collision/allision) On July 13, 2003, upon berthing in Swartz Bay (BC Canada), the ship collided with the dock.

The accident resulted in 4 injured passengers and damages to both the vessel and the pier.

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

14 September 2000Ship Collision / Allision

(ship collision) On September 14, 2000, while en-route from Swartz Bay (British Columbia, Canada), the ship collided with the pleasure boat Star Ruby (LOA length 10 m / 32 ft). The small boat hit the ferry while trying to overtake it in a narrow channel.

The collision occurred approx 1 km from Swartz Bay Terminal. The ship struck the boat's port side, causing it to flip over and then right itself. The boat was heavily damaged.

According to the accident report, the boat ignored all the ferry's warning blasts, then made a sharp turn towards it. Two Star Ruby passengers later died as a result of the sustained injuries.