B.C. Ferries says vessel will be out for 6 months due to repairs

B.C. Ferries said it will take six months to repair a vessel, after a propeller fell off it, triggering an oil spill, earlier this week.

The propeller from the 60 year-old Queen of New Westminster which weighs about 4,500 kilograms was pulled from the seabed Saturday morning after two days of recovery work, the authority operating British Columbia'sferriessaid in a statement.

Officials took the ferry out of service earlier this week after discovering the starboard propeller had "sheared off from its propulsion shaft."

The incident also saw about 800 litres of light hydraulic oil spillinto surrounding waters, though B.C. Ferriessaidthe type of oil leaked "disperses quickly in the marine environment" and no oil sheens have been detected.

The company saida preliminary visual inspection suggests the propeller shaft may have fractured due to structural fatigue, and the repairs are expected toinvolve completely disassembling port and starboard propeller systems.

It estimates the full repair could take half a year, noting the work will also depend on global parts availability and manufacturing timelines.

Meanwhile, all of the vessel's sailings up to Sept. 30 have been cancelled, and B.C. Ferriessaidit's looking at ways to add additional trips on other boats.

CEO Nicolas Jimenez said the company plans to ask the B.C. FerriesCommission for permission to add a net new vessel to its major routes, adding impact to service would have been minimal this week if the company had a backup craft.

The Queen of New Westminster operates on the popular Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay route between Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria. It can carry more than 250 cars and 1,300 passengers.

The Canadian Coast Guard toldCBC News Friday that B.C. Ferries notified it about the leak Tuesday morning.

It said crews that assessedtheTsawwassenFerry Terminal Tuesday saw"some non-recoverable sheen." It added that an overflight wasconducted in the area betweenTsawwassen and Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal on Wednesday, butthere was no observation ofvisible pollution.

The Coast Guard said Friday that it has ended its response efforts because the situation remains stable, and there have been no reports of oil.