Mechanical failure caused B.C. ferry crash

Mechanical failure caused an accident on Thursday in which a 7,000-tonne ferry missed the dock in Horseshoe Bay, B.C., and smashed through small boats moored at a marina, investigators said Friday.

The Queen of Oak Bay lost power, the Transportation Safety Board said. "This was caused by a disengagement of the clutch leading to a loss of propulsion," said Ginette Thibodeau, one of three TSB personnel studying the accident.

The board hasn't disclosed if the ship had steering problems.

But the captain is being praised for steering the vessel into the marina, rather than into more crowded areas or the ferry terminal.

No one was hurt, despite the 500 passengers on the ship and dozens on shore. RCMP divers found no victims in the many smaller boats crushed under the ferry's hull.

BC Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said it appears the 21-year-old ferry suffered only superficial damage. It had just returned to service after a $35 million refit.

The ferry was taken into drydock late Thursday while a barge removed the destroyed boats.

BC Ferries CEO David Hahn wouldn't speculate about the cause of the crash, saying he'll wait for the investigation to be completed.

Hahn won't predict when the investigation will be finished, but said the ferry won't return to the water until it is complete.

"This is probably one of the more unusual incidents and we'll have to get to the bottom of it, but it won't go back into the water until it's clear what went wrong."

Ferry operators say they'll try to keep up on what is traditionally one of their busiest weekends of the year, but warn travellers to be patient.

The company is offering extra sailings to accommodate waiting passengers.

But some who make their living on the water say their lives will be disrupted for a lot longer.

Mike Bromley, whose charter sailboat was destroyed by the ferry, predicts a terrible summer for his business.

"I'm booked all the way through September, and I don't have anything to show for it," said Bromley. "I have people calling me from all over the world wondering...'Is that your boat?'"

He's wondering why the captain of the ferry guided it into the marina and not the ferry slip.

But others, including truck driver Chris McClean, say the captain made the right choice.

"If he'd hit the berth, I wouldn't be here, my truck would be in the water," he said.