High winds causes B.C. Ferries' Queen of Nanaimo to run aground

High winds may have been a factor for a BC Ferries’ Queen of Nanaimo vessel that ran aground at Village Bay on Mayne Island earlier this morning.

I don’t think that’s where you’re supposed to be, Queen of Nanaimo. #bcferries pic.twitter.com/KS8LfRvPCB

— Allan Wilson (@mr_wilson3) November 2, 2013

Mayne Island is located midway between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. The vessel veered off too close to the shore, which led it to run aground at 10:45 a.m. on shallow waters a few hundred metres from the island.

Firefighters and the Coast Guard are at the scene to assist crew and any passengers onboard the 426-foot long vessel. The incident was a soft grounding – no injuries were reported.

Update – statement from BC Ferries:

The Queen of Nanaimo was set out of position due to high winds while departing the Village Bay terminal on Mayne Island at approximately 10:45 a.m. this morning. The Captain and crew followed emergency procedures and deployed both anchors to keep the ship from being set onto the shore.

There were no reports of any injuries to the crew or the two passengers that were on board the vessel at the time of the incident.

At this time, BC Ferries does not believe that the ship ran aground, however divers will conduct a dive to confirm. The Queen of Nanaimo came into contact with a private float on Mayne Island, which did sustain some damage.

Soundings of the void spaces on the ship have been conducted and it does not appear there is any damage to the vessel.

BC Ferries will be conducting a full investigation into this incident. BC Ferries does not believe there were any mechanical issues with the vessel.

The Queen of Nanaimo will return to Long Harbour on Salt Spring Island with the assistance of tugs.

The remainder of the Queen of Nanaimo’s sailings are cancelled today. A further update will be issued when more information is available.

Feature Image: Kat Sommerville / Twitter