Queen-Of-Cowichan

Sailings of the 'Queen of Cowichan' between Metro Vancouver and Nanaimo saw major delays on the morning of April 6, 2024, after a medical emergency forced athe vessel to return to dock in Horseshoe Bay. The 8:25 a.m. sailing from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay on the 'Queen of Cowichan' turned around mid-voyage and returned to the mainland. As of 10:30 a.m. the vessel remained docked in Horseshoe Bay. The 'Queen of Cowichan''s next scheduled voyage was supposed to depart Nanaimo's Departure Bay terminal at 10:40 a.m. with the vessel is now operating 132 minutes late as a result of the earlier emergency.

Travellers between Metro Vancouver and Nanaimo saw major delays in the morning of Feb 17, 2024, after a medical emergency forced a the 'Queen of Cowichan' to return to dock in Horseshoe Bay. The 8:25 a.m. sailing from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay on the 'Queen of Cowichan' turned around mid-voyage and returned to the mainland as a passenger was in need of immediate medical attention that requires the vessel to return to Horseshoe Bay. As of 10:30 a.m. the vessel remained docked in Horseshoe Bay. The Qnext scheduled voyage was supposed to depart Nanaimo's Departure Bay terminal at 10:40 a.m.

Four sailings were cancelled on Jan 15, 2022, on the 'Queen of Cowichan' between Horseshoe Bay and Nanaimo due to staffing issues. Some sailings could still go ahead despite a shortage of employees but that depended on whether key staff was affected. B.C. Ferries has contingency plans in place as requested by the provincial health officer to deal with a rise in absenteeism as the Omicron variant swept through the province, and that included cross-training staff to do other duties or deploying them to different locations. Service notices were posted online as soon as possible. Passengers can check bcferries.com for cancellations before heading to a terminal. They can also sign up to get cancellation notices sent to their mobile devices.