BC ferry passengers left on standby after ship accidentally anchored at sea – BC

There were some scary moments for passengers aboard a British Columbia ferry on Friday as the vessel accidentally anchored near Mayne Island.

BC Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said the Spirit of British Columbia passed through Active Pass between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen, and was just over a mile into the Strait of Georgia when the incident occurred.

« The ship was not in danger, nor were the passengers – it was just an inconvenience in the weather with the delay, and we certainly apologize to our customers for the delay, » she said.

Although no one was hurt, passengers aboard the ship said they really felt something was going on.

« All of a sudden there was some pretty strong shaking, and you know the ship was shaking a lot, and then we kind of stopped, » pilot Bob Ransford told Global News by phone from the ferry.

« We didn’t drift or anything, we just stopped, and the engines were still revving and everything, and we didn’t move. »

« The loudest sound started to crackle, and the people in front of the window could see the chain, the anchor coming loose, starboard anchor, » said another passenger after landing in Tsawwassen .

“Then everyone got up which alarmed everyone behind them… people were floating around the back of the ship and the anchor just dropped, then you could feel it hitting the bottom of the ocean, then she just hung around…until she finally brought us to a screeching halt.

Marshall said it’s unclear how the anchor deployed and the ferry company will launch an investigation into what went wrong.

The incident disrupted the company’s sailing schedule, prompting BC Ferries to cancel a 3 p.m. departure from Tsawwassen and a 5 p.m. departure from Swartz Bay as the crew of the Spirit of British Columbia struggled to recover the anchor.

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