Marine Atlantic’s brand new Ala’suinu was supposed to set sail on the Argentia run today, but due to continued repair work, the Gulf ferries are picking up the slack.

Additional crossings between North Sydney and Port aux Basques begin today to make up for the delayed start to the Argentia run.

To accommodate demand, crossings will be completed in 5.5 hours and turnaround time has been reduced to 4 hours.

It’s only supposed to be a short term situation, as Marine Atlantic is confident the Ala’suinu will be ready in time for the new start date of June 26.

The vessel is currently in North Sydney undergoing repairs for issues identified with the lubrication system.