A ferry service between Victoria and Seattle is already making changes to its summer schedule due to the ongoing U.S. trade war.
Clipper Navigation usually offers two round trips a day multiple times a week during the peak summer period, but will now only be offering one sailing each day and there will be no double sailing days.
The company said it has also had to lay off about 20 people from its Seattle office.
It says no one has been laid off from the Victoria office, but employees may not be offered as many shifts, affecting about 10 people.
“We’re seeing an overall downturn in traffic,” Mark Collins, the CEO of Clipper Navigation told Global News.
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“Traffic heading southbound out of Canada is down 35 per cent and U.S. originating traffic is down seven to 12 per cent, so it’s fairly significant reductions across the board and I think you can put it down to the geopolitical headwinds we’re facing right now.”
“Were it not for COVID, I would say this will be one of the most significant declines this company has faced in its 40-year history,” Collins said.
“But if we got through COVID we can get through anything.”
He added that they will be there when people are ready to travel again.
This news comes as Black Ball Ferry Line announced last week that it is cutting its summer schedule down and delaying the start of the season.
That ferry runs between Victoria and Port Angeles.
The company cited a 14-per cent drop in traffic compared to last year and said it will maintain its current three-sailings-per-day schedule instead of ramping it up in June.
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