On Monday, July 17th, 2 sailings on the busy route between Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island/Victoria BC had to be called off due to a recurring issue with one of BC Ferries' three new ships (Germany-built Coastal-class vessels) and the world's largest double-ended passenger ferries.
The 2008-built Coastal Celebration had to be taken out of service again after oil leakage was discovered from the propeller hub on Monday morning. Consequently, the 10 am and 12 pm. Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay sailings were canceled to allow for an assessment of the problem.
Thankfully, the mechanical problems were dealt with in time for the 2 pm sailing from Swartz Bay, but it was subject to a delay. To fully understand the extent of the damage and create a detailed repair plan, a dive was scheduled for Monday night, as informed by a spokesperson.
It's worth noting that the Coastal Celebration had also undergone maintenance-related downtime during the Canada Day long weekend, as the company had difficulty finding a suitable service provider for the necessary work.