Huge delays after BC Ferries ship turns around for RCMP to arrest intoxicated man

A man was arrested aboard a ferry bound for Metro Vancouver Thursday, in a chaotic incident that forced the ship to turn around.

#ServiceNotice #Tsawwassen #DukePoint #CoastalInspiration is returning to dock in Duke Point due to an incident on board which requires immediate attention. More information to follow shortly. ^vr

— BC Ferries | Reconnecting BC (@BCFerries) August 26, 2022

Nanaimo RCMP say a man was acting erratically on the Coastal Inspiration, which had left Nanaimo at 8:15 pm. Witnesses say there was a car parked backwards on one of the vehicle decks, and an intoxicated, half-naked man was at the centre of the incident.

Sounds like the medical emergency was that dude was naked and some other stuff must have happened. He then got arrested and taken off of ship. Car contents were emptied on the roof with rcmp there, and finally got towed away. Not sure about the homicide stuff

— Bill Tozer (@btozzz222) August 26, 2022

The ship returned to dock around 9 pm, and officers boarded and arrested the individual, who they say was “intoxicated by drugs.”

Two people were apparently travelling in the backwards-facing car, but officers couldn’t find the second occupant — which initiated a missing person search.

Later, after reviewing security camera footage, officers realized the other individual may have gotten off the ferry when it returned to Nanaimo and left in a taxi.

There were initially rumours circulating on social media that the intoxicated man had thrown someone overboard — but police say that’s not true.

“At this time, there is nothing to support foul play and this incident is being treated as missing person’s investigation”, Const. Gary O’Brien said in a news release. “When the individual who was arrested on the ferry is sober, he will be interviewed prior to his release.”

Delta police also assisted with the incident, and officers remained at the Tsawwassen terminal Friday to help with the backlog of traffic.

#ServiceNotice #Tsawwassen #DukePoint #CoastalInspiration is returning to dock in Duke Point due to an incident on board which requires immediate attention. More information to follow shortly. ^vr

— BC Ferries | Reconnecting BC (@BCFerries) August 26, 2022

The incident led to an hours-long delay for the Coastal Inspiration, and passengers many passengers were irritated they didn’t receive more information.

Tiferet Welch, a passenger on the sailing, questioned why the ship departed in the first place.

Pretty obvious right from the get-go, given that the car was BACKWARDS before we sailed. Announcement prior to leaving the dock … problem with the car. This was not a surprise event at sea! Should NEVER have happened. Someone needs a performance evaluation!!!

— Tiferet Welch (@TiferetSE) August 26, 2022

Amber Belzer, a journalist with Canadian Traffic Network, weighed in on Twitter to say BC Ferries handled communication during the crisis poorly.

“Today is a textbook case for communications on how not to handle a crisis,” she said. “Unhappy customers. Lack of information. We get there’s a criminal investigation, but let your customers know what options you are providing.”

I feel like today is a textbook case for #communications on how NOT to handle a crisis. #crisismanagement Unhappy customers. Lack of information. – We get that there’s a criminal investigation, but let your customers know what options you are providing…what you can do #bcferries

— Amber Belzer (@AMBERontheair) August 26, 2022

More than a dozen Tsawassen-Nanaimo sailings cancelled Friday

BC Ferries’ service still hasn’t resumed to normal, with many cancelled sailings between Tsawwassen and Duke Point.

“Due to the incident, our crews worked excessive hours and have been stood down to ensure they are provided with the required amount of rest,” BC Ferries said in a statement.

Six sailings out of Tsawwassen have been pre-emptively cancelled due to the police incident, and the remaining ships are already getting full.

BC Ferries

Out of Nanaimo, seven scheduled sailings have been cancelled.

BC Ferres

The cancellations come on one of the final weekends of summer, when BC Ferries is typically busy with more travellers than usual on weekend getaways.