B.C. Ferries Reports Q1 profit of $76.2m
British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. reported a first-quarter profit of $76.2m due to insurance proceeds of $67.9m in connection with the sinking of the Queen of the North ferry. The ferry operator said Thursday that excluding the one-time gain, it would have earned $14.9 million on revenue of $146.3 million. That compared to a profit of $14.4 million on revenue of $145.2 million a year ago. The company said the money from the insurance payment will be used to buy a replacement ship. The Queen of the North sank March 22 after striking Gil Island in Wright Sound in 430 metres of water. Two people remain missing and are presumed dead after the late-night incident in which 99 people were safely removed from the stricken vessel. Two lawsuits are pending as a result of the sinking. B.C.
BC Ferries Gets $68m for Sinking
BC Ferries reportedly received $67.9 million in insurance compensation for the sinking of the Queen of the North earlier this year, www.canada.com reported. The settlement was noted in the company's year-end financial details, in which net earnings increased $14.7 million, or 2.6 per cent, over last year to $49.9 million. The company said $6.6 million of the proceeds from the insurance settlement offset insurable losses, and the balance will be recognized in the first quarter of its 2007 fiscal year. The Queen of the North was traveling from Prince Rupert, B.C., to Port Hardy, B.C., when it rammed at full speed into Gil Island on March 22 and sank 400 m to the ocean's floor. (Source: www.canada.com)
Couple Feared Dead in Ferry Sinking
Two people are now feared dead after an ocean-going ferry sank when it smashed onto a rocky island on Canada's Pacific coast on March 22. Police have begun a missing persons investigation for the couple, whom witnesses reported seeing on shore with the 99 others rescued from the ferry Queen of the North, but who have not been heard from since. According to Reuters, BC Ferries now fears those witness reports were wrong and that the couple from the town of 100 Mile House, British Columbia, went down with the ship. The Queen of the North is believed to have gone off course and struck Gil Island shortly after midnight local time, about 75 miles south of Prince Rupert, on a trip down the Inside Passage on the northwest coast of British Columbia.
Passengers, Crew Safe after Ferry Sinking
On March 22, off B.C.'s north coast, rescuers plucked dozens of people from lifeboats after The Queen of the North, sailing south on a 450-kilometer overnight trip from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy along what's known as B.C.'s Inside Passage, hit a rock just after 12:30 a.m. and sank in choppy seas and high winds. All of the 101 people aboard - 42 crew members and 59 passengers - were rescued and accounted for. Most were taken to a community center in Hartley Bay where the town's residents brought them blankets and coffee. Others were aboard the Coast Guard vessel the Sir Wilfrid Laurier. The 125-meter-long vessel was reported to be completely submerged about 135 kilometers from Prince Rupert after hitting Gil Island in Wright Sound, listing to one side and then sinking.
Queen of North Grounds, Passengers Safely Evacuate
On Wednesday, BC Ferries' Queen of the North, hit a rock off Gil Island in Wright Sound. BC Ferries Emergency Operations Center confirms that all 101 passengers and crew were safely evacuated via BC Ferries lifeboats. Some of the passengers and crew have been taken to Hartley Bay, which is approximately 75 miles south of Prince Rupert. Others are on the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Sir Wilfred Laurier. Passengers and crew will then be transported to Prince Rupert via Canadian Coast Guard vessel. Canadian Coast Guard vessel Sir Wilfred Laurier was on the scene by 2:15 a.m. Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board have been notified.
Sunken B.C. Ferry Crew Members Face Uncertainty
According to the AP, B.C. Ferries says it will suspend and possibly fire a handful of crew members who were working on the Queen of the North the night it sank if they don't take part into an investigation into the sinking. The report indicated that CEO David Hahn told Canadian Press that less than four crew members have refused to answer questions in the investigation. Hahn refused to say whether the crew members are critical to the investigation or include the two who were in the wheelhouse at the time of the crash. The ferry ran into Gil Island in Wright Sound and sank March 22nd. It carried 101 people and two people died. B.C. Ferry…
