Ferry swap: Legionnaire moving from Bell Island to Fogo until January

In a move to accommodate ongoing problems with the Veteran, one of its newest ferries, the Newfoundland and Labrador government is moving its sister ship from Conception Bay to the northeast coast.

The Department of Transportation and Works confirmed Fridaythe Legionnaire will be reassigned from Bell Island to the Fogo IslandChange Islands run.

It's a juggling act made necessary because of problems with the port thruster on the Veteran. That $50-million boat has been brought to St. John's for repairs and will remain there until January.

• 'Nothing but trouble': MV Veteran down again with thruster problems

The Beaumont Hamel, a smaller and older ferry, will be on the run between Bell Island and Portugal Cove until the new year.

Service changes take effect on Sunday.

The Veteran has been plagued with problems since its arrival tothe province in 2015. The builder, Damen Shipyards of Romania, and engine manufacturer Rolls Royce are working to resolve the latest problem, which apparently involves the thruster bearings, according to the government.

The Legionnaire was also sidelined briefly last week with thruster problems, but technicians tracked the problem to a computer card.