BC Ferries is expecting crew shortages in the coming months as rising Omicron cases combine with winter weather, vaccination policies and a lack of global professional mariners.

Any situations where a lack of properly-trained crew is unavailable to safely run a trip will see sailings delayed or cancelled, the company said.

鈥淐rewing is a complex, logistical task that considers the individual鈥檚 qualifications and the number of skilled mariners required for the various roles onboard each vessel, as well as where they live and work,鈥� BC Ferries said Monday in a statement. 鈥淓ven a small number of crew that are unavailable to sail can have a significant impact on service if replacements are challenging to find.鈥�

READ ALSO:

To mitigate that risk, BC Ferries has crew in reserve that can be called in, and noted it is cross-training employees so they can be deployed to different locations as required.

Even so, the company warns prospective passengers to be prepared for service disruptions, particularly on inter-island routes. It acknowledged the importance of ferry service to many B.C. communities and stated it will do its best to avoid disruptions.

鈥淲hile a route may operate on a modified schedule, no route is expected to be suspended completely.鈥�

Up-to-date sailing information can be found at .

Do you have a story tip? Email: vnc.editorial@blackpress.ca.

Follow us on and and like us on