40% of BC Ferries cancellations were due to crew shortages
The number of cancelled B.C. Ferries sailings due to staffing shortages more than doubled in the 2023 fiscal year compared with the previous year — comprising 40 per cent of all ferry cancellations, according to the company’s latest annual report.
There were 1,163 cancellations due to crew shortages in the fiscal year ending March 31, up from 522 in 2022.
The spike is even more startling when compared to 2020, when 25 sailings were cancelled due to staffing issues, and in 2021, with 109.
“While cancelling trips in response to weather conditions or vessel mechanical issues is not unusual, we are experiencing a higher number of trips cancelled due to our inability to secure required crew,” said the B.C. Ferries report.
“Like many other industries, we are facing a shortage of skilled workers, an aging workforce and higher levels of illness.”
