A police incident at the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal in West Vancouver caused widespread disruption to B.C. Ferries service on Sunday, halting sailings for hours and affecting thousands of travellers across multiple coastal routes.
The situation began shortly after 12 p.m. PT when emergency responders were called to the terminal following an incident on board the Queen of Surrey while it was docked. As police and emergency crews moved in, ferry operations were immediately paused, with no vessels allowed to arrive or depart from Horseshoe Bay.
The disruption quickly escalated into a major travel issue, impacting routes between Vancouver and Nanaimo, Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast — some of the busiest ferry corridors in the region.
Sailings held for hours as terminal reaches capacity
BC Ferries confirmed that several sailings were either held at dock or kept offshore throughout the afternoon. The 10:55 a.m. sailing from Nanaimo was forced to wait away from the terminal, delaying both arrival and passenger offloading.
At the same time, outbound sailings from Horseshoe Bay — including the 11:55 a.m. departure to Snug Cove (Bowen Island) and the 12:10 p.m. sailing to Langdale (Sunshine Coast) — remained stuck at the dock for hours without loading or unloading passengers.
A later scheduled 1:25 p.m. sailing from Horseshoe Bay was also delayed as a result of the ongoing situation, creating a cascading effect across the entire schedule.
Passengers at terminals reported long lineups and uncertainty, with many waiting well into the evening. Vehicle traffic at both Horseshoe Bay and Langdale reached full capacity, prompting BC Ferries to warn that some travellers could be turned away.
“We’ve been here since early afternoon and nothing has moved,” one passenger waiting at Langdale told CBC News, noting that the 12:10 p.m. sailing had still not departed hours later.
By around 4 p.m., bystanders said no ferries had come or gone from Horseshoe Bay, underscoring the scale of the shutdown at the busy terminal.
Police response and emergency measures
West Vancouver Police confirmed officers were on scene “to provide assistance to a member of the public,” asking people to avoid the area and follow police directions. Authorities later clarified that there was no ongoing risk to public safety.
The response involved multiple agencies, including Vancouver Police, marine units and Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue teams. Witnesses also reported seeing ambulances and heavily equipped emergency personnel at the terminal.
During the disruption, BC Ferries took additional steps to help stranded passengers. The company arranged four 12-passenger water taxis to provide complimentary service between Horseshoe Bay and Gibsons, starting at 6:30 p.m.
These temporary measures were aimed at easing congestion, particularly for foot passengers travelling to the Sunshine Coast while the main vessel remained out of service.
BC Ferries also advised travellers to consider alternate routes, including the Duke Point (Nanaimo) to Tsawwassen corridor, though delays were still expected across the network.
For real-time updates, passengers were directed to the BC Ferries current conditions page, which provided rolling service notices throughout the day.
Service resumes after more than seven hours
After more than seven hours of disruption, authorities confirmed the situation had been resolved shortly after 6 p.m. West Vancouver Police said the area was being reopened to the public, and ferry crews began preparing to resume operations.
BC Ferries later confirmed that the Queen of Surrey was loading and would depart from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale as service gradually restarted.
By approximately 6:30 p.m., the delayed 11:55 a.m. sailing to Snug Cove finally departed, while vessels that had been waiting offshore began docking at the terminal.
Despite the resumption, delays continued into the evening as crews worked through the backlog of passengers and vehicles created by the shutdown.
The ferry operator thanked customers for their patience, noting that restoring full service would take time given the volume of disrupted sailings.
Sunday’s incident adds to a series of recent challenges involving the Queen of Surrey, including mechanical issues earlier in the week and over the Easter long weekend that led to multiple cancellations.
For travellers, the disruption highlighted how quickly operations at Horseshoe Bay — one of the busiest ferry terminals in British Columbia — can be impacted by unexpected events.
With limited space and high traffic volumes, even a single incident can ripple across multiple routes, affecting thousands of passengers within hours.
While no injuries were reported and authorities have not released further details about the incident, normal service has now resumed, with travellers advised to check schedules and expect possible residual delays.
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