Taxpayers likely not on hook for Yarmouth ferry repairs, says minister
Emma Davie | CBC News | Posted: July 6, 2017 6:43 PM | Last Updated: July 6, 2017
Engine problem has added extra hour to the 5½ hour trip and reduced weekly crossings to 5 from 6
The cost of engine repairs for the ferry between Yarmouth and Portland, Maine, are expected to be picked up by the engine manufacturer, provincial Transportation Minister Lloyd Hines said Thursday.
In other words, it doesn't look like Nova Scotia will be footing the bill, which hasn't been determined yet.
"The indication is that the engine manufacturer will cover the costs associated with it. We don't have that totally validated yet, but that's the direction we're headed in," Hines said.
"It would be between the operator and the manufacturer of the engine. That's what we've been informed."
Last Sunday, all of the Cat ferry's crossings were cancelled after a problem with one of the ferry's four engines.
Bay Ferries and engine manufacturer MTU are investigating the cause of the engine malfunction.
With that engine out of commission, the ferry still remains in service — but not at full power — and the 5½ hour trip now takes an additional hour.
The ferry will now be doing five round trips per week instead of the six weekly trips originally scheduled for July.
Cause of engine problem still undetermined
Hines said he didn't know if ferry would need to be out of service to fix the faulty engine.
"That's what's being determined. I mean, these are massive power units that are in there — there's four of them — and they need ... to do a deep dive and see exactly what the issue is."
Despite that, Bay Ferries is expected to well exceed ticket sales for last season.
Hines told reporters that as of June 30, Bay Ferries has already sold 80 per cent of last season's total.
He couldn't give exact figures but said "it's a very good indication" for this year's sales.
Last year, Bay Ferries carried 35,551 passengers between June 15 and Oct. 1 — over 15,000 fewer than in 2015, when the Nova Star ferry brought across 51,038 passengers.