Bomb threat disrupts B.C. Ferries

DELTA, B.C. – Thousands of summer travelers were stuck for hours Saturday when B.C. Ferries was forced to cancel 21 sailings after receiving a bomb threat the police considered credible.

The disruption occurred at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal – a busy hub north of the border with Washington state that handles ferries sailing to Vancouver Island.

The threat came in a 911 call to police about 3:30 p.m. from a mall in suburban Coquitlam by a man with a Middle Eastern accent, ferries chief executive David Hahn said.

One ferry that had already departed had to be called back to the terminal and another ferry, full and ready to go, was halted.

Three bomb-sniffing dogs were called in to help officers search vehicles and vessels.

No one was allowed to leave the terminal building without their vehicle being searched, and sailings didn’t resume until 9 p.m.

The ferry corporation is offering a $50,000 (Canadian) reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever called in the threat, Hahn said.