Sound of Islay back on the water, as cost of repairs on 50-year-old ferry below initial estimates

The refit of a provincial ferry built in 1968 cost less than initially projected, and should extend the life of the vessel by eight to 10 years, according to the provincial Department of Transportation and Works.

The Sound of Islay went out of service in the fall of 2015, after a routine annual refit turned up major problems.

In early 2017, after the vessel had been laid up for about a year and a half, the province announced plans to do the work required to get the Sound ofIslayback on the water.

Those costs were projected to come in at just under $6 million, with Ottawa kicking in one-third of the cash.

• Total cost to fix 49-year-old ferry projected near $6M

But things turned out better than expected.

Government officials recently told CBC News that the total amount of funding required to refit the Sound of Islay ended up at about $4.6 million.

The feds kicked in more than $1.5 million of that total.

The work was finished in August.

According to the Department of Transportation and Works, the repairs includedrefurbishment of the ship's bottom and tanks.

More work including extra pipework and extra steel work in the floors and sides of the tanks was discovered to be necessary after the refit began. The government said that was expectedin a project like this one.

Serves as swing vessel in ferry fleet

The Sound of Islay acts as a swing vessel, filling in to plug gaps where necessary in the province's ferry service.

The provincial government said it's compatible with all docks around the island, and it meets the service requirements needed in small ports.

The Sound of Islay is now serving the roughly 450 residents of Ramea and Grey River, replacing the Gallipoli, which has been out of service since September.

CBC News reported last week the the Gallipoli will be tied up longer than originally planned, and repair costs are also going up for that ship, which dates back to 1986.

• Costs going up on MV Gallipoli repairs after unexpected problems arise