Wear, tear cited in aging ferry's engine failure

The engine problem that prompted a ferry crew to issue a mayday off Newfoundland's northeast coast in October was due to routine use aboard the aging vessel, a review has found.

A Transport Canada investigation found that a connection between the fuel pump and the engine aboard the MV Inch Arran failed due to normal wear and tear.

The Inch Arran was built 44years ago, making it one of the oldest vessels in a provincial government fleet that safety consultants in a separate report completed last year said is badly outmoded and in need of replacement.

Marine safety investigators with Transport Canada have determined the ferry's crew took appropriate actions during the incident, when the engine cut out and the ferry started to drift.

The ferry broke down near Little Bay Islands in Notre Dame Bay. The crew was able to restart the engine and bring the ferry to port.

There were no infractions under the Canada Shipping Act, the review found.

During the incident, a life raft did not fully inflate. The review found that the crew did not tug hard enough on the line that triggers the raft's firing cable.

The Inch Arran is just one of a series of ferries that have had maintenance issues in recent months. The Newfoundland and Labrador government has approved construction of two new ferries, and is considering calls for more.

A consultants' report issued just weeks before the Inch Arran incident found that ferry was at "high risk of major machinery failure" because of its age.