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Service notice - Temporary Vessel Replacement

Posted:   Thursday, December 11, 2025

Issued on: Thursday, December 11, 2025

Temporary Vessel Replacement
Victoria (Swartz Bay) - Southern Gulf Islands
January 3 – February 20, 2026

The Salish Heron will provide service on our Victoria (Swartz Bay) – Southern Gulf Islands route from Saturday, January 3, to Friday, February 20, while the Queen of Cumberland completes its annual refit.

The Queen of Cumberland will undergo phased safety improvements effective immediately through the refit period, when its deployable vehicle ramps will be permanently removed. While the vessel remains safe to operate, due to recent challenges with safely and reliably operating the ramps on the Queen of Cumberland, we will reduce the maximum number of vehicles on each ramp from 18 to 10 effective immediately. This precautionary measure will help maintain safe, dependable service until the vessel’s scheduled refit, when the ramps will be permanently removed.

The Salish Heron accommodates approximately 44 more vehicles than the Queen of Cumberland, and passenger amenities include the Coastal Café, Passages Gift Shop, comfortable lounge seating with panoramic views, spacious outdoor seating on an open sundeck, a pet area, elevators, and upper and lower vehicle decks. Further details can be found by visiting our website here.

For up-to-date sailing and departure information, visit bcferries.com, follow @BCFerries on X or phone 1-888-223-3779 for further assistance.

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