Are Ferries Cancelled in Bad Weather? Typhoon Rules and Refunds

In the Philippines, bad weather cancels ferries by rule rather than by choice. Under the Coast Guard's heavy-weather circular, once PAGASA raises Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 (winds of 39 to 61 km/h expected within 36 hours) at the departure port, along the route or at the destination, vessels may not sail with passengers, apart from two narrow exceptions. If your liner voyage is cancelled, MARINA Circular 2018-07 lets you choose a refund, paid within seven days, or a free rebooking, whatever the cause unless it was your own doing. BC Ferries and Washington State Ferries decide cancellations themselves and refund or rebook under their own rules.

What happens to Philippine ferries when a typhoon signal goes up?

The rule is PCG Memorandum Circular 02-23, "Revised Guidelines on Movement of Vessels during Heavy Weather", dated 23 March 2023. It replaced the 2013 circular, and it was still the heavy-weather circular on the Coast Guard's own list in the latest archived copy of that page, from October 2025. We could not reach the live Coast Guard site, so read what follows as the rule in force as of that date, and check with the Coast Guard station at your port before you travel.

Its general rule is simple: with Signal No. 1 or higher at the origin, on the route or at the destination, no vessel of any size may leave port except to shelter, and a ship that leaves to shelter must first put its passengers ashore. A ship already under way when Signal No. 2 or higher is raised has to head for the nearest designated sheltering area. The circular defines the signals by expected wind:

Can any boat still sail under Signal No. 1?

Two kinds of trip can, within 12 hours of the signal being raised and in daylight, provided PAGASA reports calm to moderate seas with wind of no more than 28 km/h, among other conditions.

• RoRo ships on main supply routes, meaning crossings of up to 20 nautical miles or two hours listed in the circular's Annex A, such as Batangas–Calapan, Cebu–Tagbilaran, Allen–Matnog and Dumaguete–Siquijor. The ship must exceed 300 gross tons and fill no more than 75% of its cargo space, and it may carry only the drivers of the vehicles on board. Foot passengers stay ashore.
• Short hops inside named "special areas", trips of up to 4 km or about 30 minutes, such as the Caticlan–Boracay crossing, Pier 3 in Cebu to Muelle Osmeña in Lapu-Lapu, the Iloilo Strait and the Davao–Samal crossing. Boats may take up to half their licensed passenger load, and on open-deck boats everyone wears a lifejacket.

Gale warnings are a separate PAGASA product aimed at small craft. The final warning of 3 September 2026, for example, forecast winds of 45 to 63 km/h and waves of 2.8 to 4.5 m, and advised small boats, motor bancas included, to take precautions and avoid going out if they could.

What are you owed when a Philippine voyage is cancelled or delayed?

MARINA Circular 2018-07 covers passengers on liner passenger ships, meaning licensed domestic ships with regular ports of call and fixed schedules. It counts a voyage as cancelled when it is called off for more than 24 hours or indefinitely, including when you are bumped by overbooking.

Three details matter in a storm. The refund or rebooking right applies whatever the cause, but meals, lodging and cash in place of lodging are not owed when the operator shows the cause was weather or another event beyond its control. The operator may not deduct a processing fee from a refund for a cancelled or delayed voyage. And you must show your ticket to claim anything. Complaints go to the MARINA office responsible for the operator's head office.

What do OceanJet, SuperCat and 2GO say?

• OceanJet pays back the full ticket value when it cancels a trip, though it keeps the option of getting you there by other reasonable means instead. Refunds you request yourself are partial: its policy table gives 80% before departure if you have not checked in, 60% after departure, and 50% if you checked in and the boat has not left. Refunds and revalidations must be claimed within six months of the ticket being issued.
• SuperCat, in an archived copy of its FAQ from April 2026, rebooks at no charge when a trip is cancelled because of weather, a technical problem or its own decision; otherwise a rebooking costs ₱10 before the trip or 10% of the fare after it. Tickets are valid for six months from the travel date.
• 2GO only rebooks or refunds before the ship leaves; after departure the ticket counts as expired. It may add a surcharge when the passenger asks for the change, and it does not refund meals, the terminal fee, insurance, the security fee or linen.

How do BC Ferries and Washington State Ferries handle cancelled sailings?

BC Ferries posts changes on its current conditions page and on X at @BCFerries, sends service notices to account holders who sign up, and answers on 1-888-223-3779. If a booked sailing is cancelled before you reach the terminal, its disruption policy says it tries to move you to a later sailing that day at no cost; if it cannot, the booking is cancelled and your fares and booking fees go back to your card automatically. Already checked in, you are loaded on the next sailing with space, or you can check out at the booth for a refund. Travellers without a booking must collect their refund at the booth before leaving. When a cancellation within its control forces you to go on without your car, BC Ferries reimburses reasonable parking and a later trip to collect it.

Washington State Ferries' 2026 service contingency plan lists its channels: text and email alerts to subscribers, sent by staff from 4:30 am to 10:30 pm; posts on its website, X and Bluesky; the WSDOT app with live vessel positions; highway message signs; and customer service on 206-464-6400. The state's ferry rules let WSF cancel or move vehicle reservations during a service interruption, with notice by email or phone, and without charging you for the change. If your reserved sailing is cancelled or badly delayed and you can no longer travel that day, any deposit is refunded. During an interruption WSF may also turn away drivers who have no reservation.