Former Ferry Now Listing In Fanny Bay Leads To Calls For Action

There are calls for action with the Rhododendron, a former Washington State ferry, listing in Fanny Bay right now.

The Rhododendron has also seen some of its anchor chains cut, and there are fears the ferry could sink or beach, becoming a major and costly environmental liability.

“The community is really worried right now about the Rhododendron actually sinking,” said Daniel Arbour, the region’s director with the Comox Valley Regional District. “The storms are coming this fall. There’s been a lot of unauthorized work on the vessel, some criminal activity.”

In July, James Mason told CHEK News he sold the boat to Bryan Oonk, but who owns the boat remains muddled. What we can confirm is that Oonk is facing charges of uttering threats and mischief for an incident on Aug. 11 in Fanny Bay.

Area residents say Oonk dumped fuel on another boat before a team of police officers used tear gas to help get him out of his sailboat, which was tied to the Rhododendron. He was released on bail the following day with conditions.

Police arrived at the government dock in Fanny Bay Tuesday with Oonk in a cruiser and later left with him.

All of this is playing out as problems have been mounting. For weeks, people have been removing valuable metals from the Rhododendron, largely at night before bringing them to shore.

“Short term, we need Transport Canada to take charge and deal with this vessel. I think that’s the priority and long term, I would renew my call for special management zones for Baynes Sound cause we saw with the shipbreaking that this issue, we’re just not doing a proper job of enforcing rules in this region,” said Arbour.

The region’s MP Gord Johns says the situation is chaotic and he’s raised the issue with the government, but there’s been a lack of action from Ottawa.

“Right now we’re on the precipice of seeing this boat sink, which will cost millions of dollars to clean up,” said Johns. “It threatens hundreds of jobs here in Baynes Sound in the aquaculture industry, never mind the environment and local industry. I mean half of the jobs in the B.C. shellfish industry are right here.”

Johns says a solution would be to tow the vessel to another area, where access can be more easily controlled, and determine the ship’s future.

James Mason says Transport Canada has reached out to him to help resolve the situation.

“Transport Canada could easily allow the reconnection of anchor chains, as long as it’s not a commercially active site, which it isn’t. Transport Canada could have that permission done in a blink of an eye, which is something that could buy everybody a bit of time,” said Mason, who believes the former ferry should be sunk and turned into an artificial reef.

Some area residents say Mason has been part of the problem and should no longer be involved. Mason says at this point he’s not planning on getting involved again, as he’s got other projects and work on the go.

In a statement, Transport Canada says it’s actively monitored the MV Rhododendron since 2025 to ensure it remains safe and does not pose a hazard to navigation.

Additionally, they remain in contact with the owner to support compliance under the Wrecked, Abandoned and Hazardous Vessels Act. 

The Canadian Coast Guard says it’s attended the MV Rhododendron on multiple occasions to conduct environmental hazard assessments and review its condition.

On Oct. 16, 2025, they installed a remote monitoring system on the vessel and the agency also “conducted an underwater hull inspection, including scraping and testing at multiple locations to assess the presence and extent of hull wastage.”

The Coast Guard says as of July 6, observations indicated that the MV Rhododendron’s condition remained unchanged. 

READ MORE: Fanny Bay neighbours upset by loud music and garbage burning on former ferry

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