Sound of Islay ferry still out of service, after 2015 inspection found major hull problems

The Newfoundland and Labrador government says it expects to provide an update soon on the status of a 48-year-old ferry that requires millions in repairs before it can hit the water.

• 48-year-old ferry to get fix, pending aid from Ottawa
• Sound of Islay, built in 1968, needs $5M fix to hit water

The Sound of Islay has been tied up and out of service since the fall of 2015, when a routine annual refit turned up big problems.

According to a December 2015 provincial government briefing note, a Transport Canada inspector "identified major areas of the underwater hull that are in excess of 25 per cent deterioration, which is the regulatory limit."

The five-month repair job was estimated to carry a price tag of $5 million.

Tender call issued this summer

This summer, the province issued a tender call to proceed with major repair work on the vessel.

Those tender documents noted that final approval for the work was contingent on Ottawa opening its chequebook as well.

"Once the tender is in, we're able to look at the numbers, and then we'll be able to determine whether it's going to be an investment that we want to make," Transportation Minister Al Hawkins told CBC News in June.

Last week, the Department of Transportation and Works told CBC News discussions with Ottawa are ongoing.

The Sound of Islayis tied up inClarenville, at a cost of$1,750 per month.

In the past, ithas operated as a swing vessel. That means it fills in for other ferries that are out of service, for either scheduled or unscheduled repairs.

The Sound ofIslaywas built in 1968, and according to provincial government briefing materials,is the next vessel scheduled to be replaced in the province's aging ferry fleet.