Vessels are accidents waiting to happen, consultant says
St. John's (17 Jan. 2008) - A consultant's report says many of the vessels in the aging ferry fleet now serving Newfoundland and Labrador are accidents waiting to happen.
Ed Kent of the firm BMT Consulting says almost all of the ferries in the provincial fleet, plus vessels leased from private companies, pose significant maintenance challenges and need to be replaced.
"There's a bit of Russian roulette there," Kent was quoted as saying by CBC News. "You don't drive a 25-year-old car on the highway and not have it maintained."
In recent days, at least five ferries have been temporarily knocked out of service with problems ranging from engine failure and engine-room fire to a rope getting caught in a propeller. So far, the province has commissioned the design of two replacement vessels.
Kent says faster action is required. "They need to escalate their design. Fast-track it," he argues. "There's a very serious problem. I would suggest that the worst infrastructure problem the government has by far is the poor state of the ferry fleet."
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring that our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE
(Published as n17ja08b.htm)
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