Passenger ferry service between Victoria’s Inner Harbour and Coal Harbour in Vancouver has been put on hold temporarily.
V2V Vacations, which planned to launch scheduled service between the two ports on Monday, has announced it will delay its launch until mid-May in order to fully train its staff.
“We are incredibly excited to launch our service, but will be delayed in our planned launch date in order to provide further training for our on-board team,” said Nick Cheong, vice-president of operations for V2V. “Safety is always our paramount priority, and we will never compromise on that, even if it means pushing our launch date.”
According to the company, all reservation holders have been contacted to revise bookings, offer alternative arrangements or refund payments.
Sea trials for V2V’s Empress started April 20 with maneuvers in the Inner Harbour and along the coastline off Dallas Road. The 254-passenger vessel also ran trials along its route between Victoria and Vancouver.
When it is up and running, V2V’s Victoria departures will leave from beside the Steamship Terminal Building at 2 p.m. and Vancouver departures from the Vancouver Convention Centre docks leaving at 8 a.m. The trip is estimated to take 3.5 hours.
The vessel features leather seating, flip-out or built-in tables, power outlets at each seat and on-board Wi-Fi.
During the voyage, guests may order beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages. The V2V Empress will also carry food items developed by Truffles Catering.
The V2V might be the first, but it won't be the only passenger ferry service on offer as of next spring. Clipper Navigation intends to launch its own service on that route in 2018.
Passenger service between the two harbours hasn't been tried since the Royal Sealink Express shut down in 1993 after losing millions of dollars due to low ridership after just 19 months.
