New Fogo ferry out of service for planned upgrades

The Fogo IslandChange Islands ferry is going to be sidelined for a couple of days, but it isn't a surprise this time.

Repairs are nothing new for the Veteran, whichhas been plagued with mechanical problems since it was acquiredby the Newfoundland and Labradorgovernment in December 2015.

It's broken down at least four times and been out of service for three months at a stretch.

The ferry will be undergoing upgrades on Monday at the dock on Fogo in order to improve operations of the onboard ramps.

It has been a challenging year.- Al Hawkins

Transportation and Works Minister Al Hawkins says the Veteran will be out of service for two days.

"It is one of those things. It is encouraging to have an upgrade rather than have an issue where the mechanics have failed and we are scrambling to get it replaced," he said.

The ramp bushings are covered under the warranty from Romanian manufacturer Damen Shipyards. Similar work has already been carried out on theVeteran's sister ship, the Legionnaire, which will serve the Bell Island run.

Warranty extended

Hawkins said that because of issues with the Veteran, the manufacturer has adjusted the length of the warranty.

"The warranty would have run out this November, but Damen has extended the warranty for an extra year until next November, 2017," he said.

• Fogo Island ferry 'nightmare': Second vessel to help with MV Veteran issues
• Slow going as MV Veteran returns to Fogo Island service

Hawkins said there will be no disruption in the ferry schedule for the Fogo IslandChange Islands crossing, as the Capt. Earl W. Winsor will be filling in on November 28-29.

He said he hopes the ferry situation will be better in the future.

"It has been a challenging year," said Hawkins.

"WhenI took over this portfolio last December I was hit with these challenges and it has been one of those situations with the Veteran where you never expect the degree of problems that you had. We've dealt with that and we've worked through it."