New fourth BC Ferries route from Metro Vancouver to Vancouver Island this summer | Daily Hive

New limited fourth BC Ferries route to run from Metro Vancouver to Vancouver Island this summer

Queen of Alberni ship of BC Ferries. (poemnist/Shutterstock)

Starting this summer, there will technically be a new fourth route on BC Ferries from Metro Vancouver to Vancouver Island, though it will be an extremely limited seasonal service.

The ferry corporation will make a special one-way direct daily sailing from Tsawwassen ferry terminal to Departure Bay ferry terminal in Nanaimo.

This is in addition to the existing regular route between Tsawwassen and Duke Point ferry terminal, also in Nanaimo, and the busiest route between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay ferry terminal.

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Nanaimo is served by three BC Ferries terminals, with Departure Bay located north of downtown Nanaimo — considered more centrally located and served by frequent public transit bus connections. Departure Bay is served by the existing regular route reaching Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal in West Vancouver.

Duke Point is situated southeast of downtown Nanaimo and has no public transit.

The third terminal within the city is Nanaimo Harbour ferry terminal, serving the BC Ferries route between downtown Nanaimo and Gabriola Island.

BC Ferries strongly advises passengers to make the correct booking for their intended sailing and terminal.

Between June 19 and Sept. 1, 2025, the Queen of Alberni vessel will perform these special additional one-way sailings to Vancouver Island, departing Tsawwassen for Departure Bay only at 4:30 pm daily. There are no return trips.

This special sailing not only helps manage peak-season demand and distribute passengers across multiple terminals but also enhances flexibility and travel options. Additionally, it allows the Queen of Alberni to improve operational efficiency by docking overnight at Departure Bay.

“This new direct sailing to Departure Bay gives our customers more choice and convenience when travelling to central Nanaimo this summer and will help ease congestion for passengers at other busy terminals,” said Melanie Lucia, the vice president of customer experience of BC Ferries, in a statement today.

“It also allows us to dock the vessel overnight at Departure Bay, maximizing our fleet utilization and improving operational efficiency.”

Major routes now at capacity in the summer

According to a BC Ferries report in December 2024, the major routes linking Metro Vancouver with the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island are now operating near capacity in the months of July and at capacity in August. Average capacity utilization during these periods is now over 90 per cent, and many sailings are at 100 per cent capacity.

The ferry corporation also asserts there is unserved, latent demand during peak periods due to capacity issues, with many sailings fully booked days in advance in the summer. All the while, these major routes generate over 82 per cent of all fare revenue on the entire BC Ferries network.

There has been no major change to the capacity or service levels of these major routes for about 30 years since the Spirit of British Columbia and Spirit of Vancouver Island — the largest vessels on the fleet — entered service.

BC Ferries is currently planning an order of up to seven new large ships to replace the existing aging fleet of C-class vessels operating on the major routes, with the first five ships entering service from 2029 to 2031. The remaining two vessels are planned for later in the 2030s.

These ships will have a higher capacity, similar to the Spirit-class vessels. The first five vessels will provide 50 per cent more passenger capacity and 24 per cent more vehicle capacity than the oldest C-class ships they are replacing. The independent BC Ferries Commissioner is expected to make a decision on BC Ferries’ fleet order proposal this spring.

Preliminary conceptual artistic rendering of the New Major Vessels. (BC Ferries)

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