Powell River Mayor David Formosa called the repeated mechanical problems forcing ferries out of service for the 48,000 residents of the Sunshine Coast both a fiasco and “a huge problem.”

Residents complain that replacement “junk ferries” have been foisted on them.

This is not just a problem for inconvenienced Sunshine Coast residents. It’s a public relations shipwreck for BC Ferries.

Three times in the last year residents had to cancel long-scheduled medical appointments, business meetings or family visits because BC Ferries couldn’t maintain the reliable service levels its service contract specifies.

Last week BC Ferries warned truckers hauling freight to Powell River about space limitations. Relief vessels for the out-of-service Queen of Burnaby — engineers are trying to fix a recurring propulsion problem — carry far fewer vehicles.

And so truckers hauling everything from fresh produce to baby food were urged to travel via Vancouver Island, avoiding the Earls Cove-Saltery Bay crossing, which links the north and south portions of the Sunshine Coast. That ferry carries only 49 vehicles and won’t take reservations. This lengthens by 40 per cent Vancouver-Powell River travel for the time-sensitive trucking business.

So why did BC Ferries sell off the newly refurbished Queen of Chilliwack when it did, thus reducing its relief capacity when adequate replacement vessels can’t be ready before year’s end?

How much did BC Ferries get for selling this asset for which the public paid — and how much will that return help offset new equipment costs? Reports are that the ship was sold for $1.8 million, an 88-per-cent markdown from the value of its refits. BC Ferries won’t disclose price.

The first question is justified because relief vessels deployed to the Sunshine Coast represent a service reduction. An actual service reduction requires approval by the ferry commissioner. This skates by under a provision for temporary service disruptions due to mechanical failure.

The second question is justified because the public paid to refit the Queen of Chilliwack to top operational condition. It could have served as a relief vessel. Instead it was sold. It seems reasonable to ask what the return on that investment was and how it compared to opportunity losses from inadequate relief service. And it’s disingenuous for BC Ferries not to disclose the selling price by arguing disclosure might undercut bidding for future sales of obsolete ferries.

BC Ferries bought the Queen of Chilliwack for $10.8 million in 1991. The corporation then spent more than $20 million in three refits — $2.2 million in 1991, $3.1 million in 1996 and $15 million in 2010. These refits conveniently extended its life across the period in which replacement vessels would be under construction.

Yet last April, BC Ferries abruptly listed the ship, which it noted was in “operational reserve” and ready for use. The closing date for sale was set for 24 days later with one day for viewing. The Queen of Chilliwack was snapped up by a former senior BC Ferries manager who left and started a ferry company in the South Seas. The buyer described the ship as being “of very high standard, has updated technological equipment and state of the art passenger facilities.”

Deborah Marshall, director of public affairs for BC Ferries, confirmed the Queen of Chilliwack was sold to Goundar Shipping Limited, an inter-island ferry service in Fiji launched five years ago by George Goundar. A native Fijian and marine engineer by training, Goundar spent more than 20 years in senior roles with BC Ferries, according to the company’s website.

In 2011, Goundar purchased the decommissioned Queen of Prince Rupert, renamed it the Lomaiviti Princess and started a new inter-island cargo and passenger service, which is now Fiji’s largest.

So how much did Goundar pay for the Queen of Chilliwack, what was the actual value of refits and what was the rationale for pricing and sales timing? If BC Ferries isn’t saying, more of the travelling public should be asking anyway.

Ferry customers, whose fares increased at rates that far outstrip inflation, provided 98 per cent of BC Ferries’ revenue on major routes in fiscal 2015. Their provincial government is the de facto owner. Taxpayers have a legitimate interest in knowing the return on an asset for which they paid the lion’s share, especially when that sale and its timing result in reduced service for many travellers without alternatives.

shume@islandnet.com