MV Veteran, powered by a new engine, sailing again for Newfoundland
New vessel to arrive in late September, says transportation department
The MV Veteran has begun a second attempt to sail for Newfoundland and Labrador waters, after a new engine was installed to replace one that malfunctioned on its maiden voyage in August.
According to the website MarineTraffic, the new ferry for Fogo Island-Change Islands is underway in the Mediterranean Sea, and was south of Spain as of Tuesday morning.
The vessel will pass through the Strait of Gibraltar before entering the Atlantic Ocean and continuing on its way to Canada, according to a spokesman for the the provincial Department of Transportation and Works.
The $50-million, 80-metre ferry was built by a Dutch company called Damen at its shipyard in Romania, and originally set sail for Newfoundland in August.
But the vessel experienced what officials described as a "glitch" in one of its engines, and docked in Malta so representatives from the German engine manufacturer could assess the situation.
Damen agreed to recall the Veteran back to Romania in order to install a replacement, and that process took about a week, say officials, without any cost to the province.
She is now scheduled to arrive in Canadian waters later this month, and conduct a sail-past of Fogo Island and Change Islands, and then a sail-past of Bell Island, before docking in St. John's.
The provincial government will then take ownership of the vessel.
The vessel will begin serving Fogo Island-Change Islands sometime in November, following a period of training and other preparations in St. John's.
The Veteran and its sister ship, the MV Legionnaire, are expected to dramatically improve the provincial ferry service.
The Legionnaire was launched in mid-July, and is expected to enter service on the Bell Island run sometime this winter.