BC Ferries' Queen of Burnaby Returns to Service

The Queen of Burnaby will be back on the Comox - Powell River route Wed., Jan 27. BC Ferries has completed the required repairs to the propeller hub and will bring the ship back into service, minimizing further impacts to customers.

The Island Sky will return to the Earls Cove – Saltery Bay route and the North Island Princess will return to the Powell River – Texada Island route with regular schedules for all three routes back in effect Wed., Jan 27.

“We would like to thank customers for their patience while this critical repair was carried out,” said Corrine Storey, BC Ferries’ vice president of customer services. “Although the schedule changes and disruption in service were not ideal, we are pleased the ship could get back to regular service in just a few weeks. We certainly apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”

The Queen of Burnaby is now over 50 years old and will be retired later this year. A new $84 million vessel, the Salish Orca, is currently under construction and will replace the Queen of Burnaby by the end of this year.

In recent years, BC Ferries has invested $30 million to upgrade and rebuild the berths at Little River and Powell River, and over $2 million in upgrades at Saltery Bay and Earls Cove terminals. One of the newest ships in the fleet, the Island Sky, services the Earls Cove – Saltery Bay route. “These major investments in the Northern Sunshine Coast will ensure safe and reliable service for many years to come for Powell River,” said Storey.