There will be increased activity on the Gulf over the next few weeks as the brand new Ala’suinu sits on layby dock in North Sydney undergoing repairs.
Marine Atlantic says the Argentia run, which would have normally begun June 14, will be delayed until June 26.
It comes after a number of issues were discovered upon the vessel’s arrival to North Sydney in late April.
Ala’suinu
The first issue identified was a contaminant in the ship’s fuel. Captain Anderson Noel, director of fleet operations, says that problem was corrected in a timely manner and was not going to impact the ship’s entry into service.
That all changed late last week when crews came across an additional issue with the lubrication system. Noel says the two problems were unrelated and they’re not concerned about any permanent damage.
He says an investigation into the issue has been carried out and the full extent of the problem has been noted with a quick fix identified.
The Argentia run will not begin until June 26. pic.twitter.com/E5ZVmZV0fY
— VOCM News (@VOCMNEWS) June 6, 2024
Customers impacted by the delay in Argentia will be re-routed through the Gulf service. In order to accommodate the 3,600 passengers impacted, the Crown corporation is increasing crossings at a reduced time of 5.5 hours and limiting port time to 4 hours.
All customers will be notified, and an updated itinerary with their new reservation numbers will be provided by end of day tomorrow. Argentia customers will be compensated as per company policy.
Marine Atlantic says they are confident the work to fix the ferry will be completed come June 26.
Tourism Minister Steve Crocker is expressing disappointment with the latest update provided by Marine Atlantic.
He says the news could not come at a worse time, while the province is on the cusp of a busy and “critically important tourism season.”
He says it is incumbent upon Transport Canada and Marine Atlantic to come up with a better, more permanent solution to a lack of capacity on the important Gulf run.
