BC Ferries lost another bit of “heavy metal” overboard this week, as travellers on an Aug. 12 Salish Heron sailing said a runaway anchor event put several tonnes of costly equipment in the drink.
Passengers were rushed inside as smoke from the vessel’s anchor system brakes — either failing or simply under friction — filled the air on the front deck of the five-year-old ferry, according to Long Harbour-bound passenger Claire Thomas, sharing that after a “massive shuddering of the vessel and a huge metallic screeching sound” and several minutes of confusion, the crew announced there had been an unexpected “anchor drop” and that it was safe to resume the journey.
Thomas, 57, shared she’d been travelling aboard the ferry system “since I was an infant” and found the dearth of information for passengers during the unexpectedly eventful sailing quite unsettling.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” wrote Thomas in a letter she sent to BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez, shared with the Driftwood. “I’m pretty shattered by the experience and kind of in shock. It was terrifying and to me completely unacceptable that there was such minimal information given.”
At press time it remains unclear whether the event was caused by operator error or a mechanical failure of the anchor’s braking system; a BC Ferries spokesperson confirmed the Salish Heron’s anchor was lost, saying incidents of this kind were “extremely rare within our fleet” and that crews quickly determined there had been no damage and no risk to passengers or crew.
“The vessel’s second anchor was tested and is fully operational, meeting all safety and regulatory requirements for service,” according to a statement from the ferry company. “The small amount of smoke observed by passengers when the anchor dropped was caused by the anchor’s braking system.”
It has been less than a year since the Queen of New Westminster lost a 10,000-pound propeller assembly — and 800 litres of hydraulic oil — near Tsawwassen, although the propeller was later recovered. The Spirit of British Columbia accidentally dropped anchor just out of Active Pass in 2009, but crews were able to raise it aboard before resuming operations.
BC Ferries said technicians had begun an investigation into the cause of the anchor release on the Heron and will carry out further testing, a process a spokesperson said could take several weeks.