Full Ferry Service to Resume Wed Morning
The Department of Marine and Ports has confirmed that full service on all routes will resume Wednesday [Oct 6] morning.
The Department says that over the past several days they have “applied its resources to address a host of mechanical and cosmetic defects that have beset various ferry boats for several months.” They said while they “can appreciate the level of dissatisfaction and inconvenience the public has experienced, it is important to point out that safety is of paramount importance when it comes to operating the ferries.”
The Director of the Department of Marine and Ports, Francis Richardson said:
To help put this issue into context, the Department keeps a maintenance schedule and progamme that provides for the safe operation of the entire ferry fleet. This aggressive schedule, coupled with our limited number of vessels and high vessel usage this summer, admittedly created challenges as it relates to strictly adhering to the maintenance schedule.
And given this season’s extensive usage requirements, some of the maintenance issues requiring attention such as mechanical, hull and aesthetic upkeep on the ferries were not addressed in a timely fashion. Yet it is the Department’s view that while some of the maintenance issues were pressing, at no time was there a risk to operator or public safety.
However following discussions with union officials last week, workers opted to withdraw service so that all of the maintenance issues could be addressed simultaneously. While this resulted in an unfortunate disruption for our valued commuters, union officials deemed the suspension of service necessary given that some of the maintenance issues were outstanding. However we have worked with the union and workers to address the issues and we are pleased that full service in accordance with the published schedule will be fully operational Wednesday morning.
The reality is that the demand for ferry service continues to increase and the Department is now in the process of finalizing short and long-term maintenance plans that will prevent this kind of action from happening in the future.
As the fleet is aging and usage is high, these plans require the assistance of the various overseas ship yards, and the training and re-training of the crew and maintenance staff to ensure that all Marine and Ports staff are fully equipped to address the on-going challenges in a high usage environment. It should also be noted that the winter schedule for the ferry service will be published in the coming days, and it is currently being amended to accommodate further upgrades to the existing fleet.
Providing additional comment the Junior Minister of Tourism and Transport, Senator Marc Bean said, “As demand continues to grow, the ideal scenario is the acquisition of an additional ferry to support this area of the public transportation system.”
The Department thanked the public for their patience during the service interruption and apologises for the inconvenience caused. Ferry services have been disrupted since September 28th.
Francis Richardson is the chief Ferry/fairy.
We don’t have capital for another Wand. If “Quo Fata Furunt” is going to rule the waves we need a revised version of who is at the helm and who is giving orders.
Seaweed for thought.
I would like to know HOW in the world we can need new ferries once more. The fast ferries weren’t bought that many years ago…and their slower counterparts are still going. Don’t spend the taxpayers’ money on expensive things you don’t know how to operate, and if you must, repair them occasionally. I was on a ferry the other day and the roof was leaking. Children take better care of their toys than that.
So tired of having my money wasted on fancy toys for the premier to show off in lieu of actual accomplishments