Province's ferry woes unacceptable, says marine expert

A master mariner and former marine safety inspector says someone should be held responsible for the province's ferry fiasco.

• 'Disrupting our lives': Change Islands mayor disappointed with MV Veteran
• 'We do have a lemon': Fogo ferry users frustrated by problems with MV Veteran

Capt. Glenn Mackey says a public inquiry should be held into the recent purchases of the MV Veteran and its sister ship MV Legionnaire, which has yet to arrive.

"I know there's problems with the Veteran and they're plagued with problems, and they spent way too much money for that vessel," said Mackey.

"We don't need complicated vessels like the MV Veteran."

The Veteran, which runs between Farewell, Fogo Island and Change Islands, has been out of service four times since it launched last year, and is out of service again for repairs to the port thruster.

In the meantime, the government has brought in a replacement ferry, Beaumont Hamel, and is paying for an air service to get people to and from the islands.

Accountability

Mackey believes government should be held accountable for the ongoing problems with the MV Veteran, and said the review process was flawed.

He added that government's original request for proposals (RFP) was for only one vessel, but shortly after the second ship, Legionnaire, was announced.

What strikes me is that none of the people that hold the expertise were ever consulted.- Capt. Glenn Mackey

Comparing the RFP documentation that he obtained, Mackey said the lowest bid on the 80-metre Veteran was $24.4 million, delivered to St. John's, and said the province has now spent more than $50 million on two vessels.

Mackey also said there was no comprehensive review of all the shipyard bids, and that three companies whose bids he has obtained were never contacted.

"The budgetary documents say they spent about $7.5 million on consultants. This is why it's important to have an inquiry into this. We spent double the money," Mackey told CBC's St. John's Morning Show.

"When you go through a process like this of building a ship, there is consultancy, but what strikes me is that none of the people that hold the expertise were ever consulted, especially the captains of these runs — who know this area like the back of their hands," said Mackey.

"Nor have the engineers been consulted on the machinery requirements."

He said his documents also show government changed its specifications for the ferry thrusters, to what he considers to be a lesser quality, and wonders if this has any bearing on the issues the Veteran has been experiencing.

Wrong boats for the job

Mackey also said the the Veteran is the wrong boat for the Fogo run.

He said it's not only the vessel's operation that has him worried. The size is also a concern.

Normally vessels for these runs would be around 56 metres, said Mackey, and the 80-metre Veteran creates problems with "windage" — where "a ship's side acts as a sail and when the wind catches that, it'll set the vessel in a different direction."

The Veteran's sister ship, the MV Legionnaire, was expected to be on the Bell Island run in March but still sits in Romania, said Mackey, because the Portugal Cove and Bell Island ports aren't able to accommodate the vessel at this time.

It almost seems inconceivable that someone would build a ship first and then build a port after. I mean it doesn't make sense.- Captain Glenn Mackey

Mackey said a lot of work still has to be done for the vessel to fit the dock and perhaps government put the cart before the horse.

"It's not only myself, but a lot of people in my profession believe that that is going to be a dangerous situation for a vessel of that size," said Mackey.

"The talk is that there has to be dredging or underwater blasting to be done in Portugal Cove in order to fit this vessel in there, and they're spending $10 or $11 million dollars doing the wharf to accommodate this vessel, I mean that's a scary thought — my opinion is that vessel may never go in there," he said.

"It almost seems inconceivable that someone would build a ship first and then build a port after, I mean it doesn't make sense."