On Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, a BC Ferries vessel, the Queen of Coquitlam, broke down while en route to Horseshoe Bay, causing significant delays for passengers and cancellations of several sailings. The mechanical issue, which occurred around 1 p.m., was identified as a problem with the vessel's pitch control, leading to a temporary halt in service.
BC Ferries reported that the vessel experienced the mechanical failure just a few nautical miles from the terminal, leaving passengers stranded for hours. According to a service notice issued at 1:08 p.m., the ferry was unable to dock due to the issue, prompting the company to source three 12-passenger water taxis to provide complimentary travel between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale terminals.
Passenger Rohana Rezel, who was aboard the ferry with his family, described the situation as frustrating. "We left Langdale on time, and I don’t know how far we are from the terminal, but we can see the terminal from here, and we are stuck," he noted. Rezel added that the ferry stopped for about three hours, with an announcement stating that a tugboat would arrive to assist the vessel, which was expected to take an additional 40 minutes.
Nicole Woodhall, another passenger, shared her experience, stating, "Probably about 10 – 15 minutes away from the dock, and we just stopped, and they didn’t say anything for a little bit. And then the announcement came on, saying, ‘Hey folks, we’ve got a mechanical issue. We don’t know when we’re going to be able to get you out of here.’" As the passengers awaited assistance, some expressed concern about missing flights and appointments.
BC Ferries confirmed that the Queen of Coquitlam, which can hold up to 314 vehicles, is nearly 50 years old. A spokesperson for the company noted, "As vessels age, maintenance becomes more frequent and complex—reinforcing the importance of our long-term fleet renewal strategy to improve reliability, add capacity, and better support growing demand." This incident follows a busy Good Friday when approximately 40 vehicles missed their reservations at the Horseshoe Bay terminal due to heavy traffic congestion.
The breakdown occurred during a peak travel period, with many families heading to the Sunshine Coast for the long weekend. The company had previously warned of congestion on Highway 1, exacerbated by a surge in Whistler-bound traffic and a broken-down commercial vehicle blocking a lane on the Upper Levels.
By around 2:20 p.m., BC Ferries announced that the pitch control issue had been repaired and that the vessel would conduct sea trials using a tug while waiting for final approval from Transport Canada to resume service. Passengers were finally off-loaded just before 2:45 p.m., and the company indicated that the 4:20 p.m. sailing from Horseshoe Bay was expected to depart approximately 20 minutes behind schedule.
Rezel commented on the overall atmosphere aboard the ferry, describing it as relatively calm despite the circumstances. "Overall, I didn’t feel that people were getting agitated too much, but there was a sense that it’s a long weekend. So BC Ferries should have made sure that ferries were in working order," he said.
The events of Easter Monday have raised concerns about BC Ferries' preparedness for high-demand weekends. Rezel pointed out that the company should have anticipated the volume of customers and ensured that the ferries were in optimal condition. "They should have been prepared for the crowds, and especially this weekend, they should have made sure that everything was in shipshape, right?—no pun intended," he remarked.
BC Ferries has stated that it is actively working on a long-term strategy to renew its fleet, which is crucial for maintaining service reliability as demand continues to grow. The recent incident serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by aging infrastructure, particularly during peak travel periods.
As the ferry service resumed, passengers who were affected by the cancellations were contacted by BC Ferries' customer service employees with rebooking options or refunds as appropriate. Additionally, the company offered complimentary food vouchers to those onboard during the incident.
This breakdown highlights the importance of maintaining and modernizing transportation infrastructure to ensure that it meets the needs of the public, especially during busy travel times. With the summer season approaching, BC Ferries will need to address these concerns to prevent similar disruptions in the future.
