‘Police incident’ halts ferries at Horseshoe Bay terminal

First responders are seen at the Horseshoe Bay BC Ferries terminal on Sunday, April 19. (Submitted)

Police said there is no threat to public safety as an incident that halted ferries at the Horseshoe Bay terminal for several hours on Sunday continued well into the afternoon.

Ferries from West Vancouver to Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast were held at dock starting around noon due to a “police incident” on the Queen of Surrey vessel, according to BC Ferries.

Meanwhile, Horseshoe Bay-bound sailings from Nanaimo were held away from dock, delaying arrival and offloading.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m., the West Vancouver Police Department said officers remain on scene “assisting a person in need and co-ordinating with partner agencies.”

A passenger told CTV News police—including members of the heavily armed Emergency Response Team—and two ambulances were at the ferry terminal.

Police asked the public to avoid the area.

As of 5 p.m., the 11:55 a.m. sailing to Snug Cove and the 12:10 p.m. sailing to Langdale were still being held at dock and the 10:55 a.m. and 1:20 p.m. Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay ferries were stopped off shore.

“We will keep you informed as more information becomes available. As soon as the incident is resolved, the vessel will resume service,” the BC Ferries notice reads.

Water taxis began transporting passengers to Bowen Island at 4:45 p.m. and were scheduled to begin service to Langdale at 6:30 p.m.

As of 5:30 p.m., BC Ferries said vehicle traffic at Horseshoe Bay and Langdale had “reached capacity.”

“If you have been turned away due to traffic volumes, there may be an opportunity to travel later in the day,” the company wrote. “Thank you to our customers for your patience during this delay.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.