More ferry woes, with a $6M price tag for new engines for Legionnaire and Veteran
Veteran, which only recently returned to service after months of repairs, will be out again this fall
Newfoundland and Labrador's transportation minister says two provincial ferries need new engines, adding to a series of problems that have forced reductions in service.
John Abbott told reporters Tuesday that regular maintenance on both the MV Legionnaire and the MV Veteran identified the need for new engines that he said will cost a total of $6 million plus installation.
"It was time to upgrade the engines. We had a choice of upgrade or replace. The cost-benefit told us to replace," Abbott said.
Work on the Veteran, which serves Fogo Island and Change Islands, will start this fall, he said. Once that's done, the Legionnaire, which connects Bell Island to Newfoundland, will have its work done in the new year.
The Veteran only recently returned to service after spending months in dry dock for repairs.
Abbott and other members of the provincial Liberal government have regularly cited a lack of oversight from the previous administration as the reason for the repair work, backed by a 2021 auditor general's report that concluded the PCs didn't effectively manage the construction and launch of the two vessels.
"When the Veteran and Legionnaire were constructed, there was no oversight. And we're paying the price for that," said Abbott on Tuesday.
"Once you opened up one cavity, as it were, you had to open another and another."
Abbott said the province will find a replacement vessel while the work is being done, likely leasing a vessel for as long as it's needed.
Concern in Change Islands
Dennis Flood, who chairs the Change Islands transportation committee, says the return of the MV Veteran is welcomed but he's worried about what's coming in the fall.
"People are relieved that it's operating now and it's keeping a schedule for the most part and people are not complaining right now," he said.
"[But] it will go right back to what they had because they don't have a plan. [The provincial government's] answer is they're looking for a replacement vessel, but they're not having any luck in finding one."
Earlier this year, Flood and other Change Islands residents organized protests when the provincial government changed the ferry schedule for the community while the MV Veteran was in dry dock.
Flood says protests are not likely in the plans should the schedule change again, but Fogo Island Mayor Andrew Shea says he's worried about the financial impact on the community, fearing the cancellation of reservations in the area's hospitality industry.
"We had a meeting with the minister last week. We told him that the [MV Beaumont Hamel] was not sufficient for Fogo Island anymore. We gotta have a bigger boat," he said. "They are looking for a replacement vessel but they haven't had any luck so far."
Flood said he's worried about the ongoing uncertainty about service.
"We're not out of the woods. We're concerned about how it went this year," he said. "They gotta replace it with something suitable for the run."
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With files from Heather Gillis and Patrick Butler