The Northern Adventure, BC Ferries shiny new vessel for the north coast is about to go south. It is to be pulled from service from May 9-19 and banished into refit, this after less than a month on the job.
With a number of problems cropping up on recent sailings, the Ferry Corporation has decided to return the vessel to southern waters and a refit pit stop at Deas Pacific Marine, hopefully to clear up all the annoying problems that have tarnished the launch of the cruise ship like vessel serving the North Coast.
The Ferry Corporation issued a press release on Friday, outlining its plans and trying its best to make an unwanted situation sound positive.
From fire extinguisher problems to malfunctioning elevators, silent PA systems to backed up toilets and sinks, the adventure on the Northern Adventure seems to be an ability to deal with far too many glitches on a vessel that holds its passengers captive for over 18 hours.
The CBC website had details on the numerous maladies of the ship and how they have impacted on BC Ferries this month.
New ferry needs work, faces refit
With a number of problems cropping up on recent sailings, the Ferry Corporation has decided to return the vessel to southern waters and a refit pit stop at Deas Pacific Marine, hopefully to clear up all the annoying problems that have tarnished the launch of the cruise ship like vessel serving the North Coast.
The Ferry Corporation issued a press release on Friday, outlining its plans and trying its best to make an unwanted situation sound positive.
From fire extinguisher problems to malfunctioning elevators, silent PA systems to backed up toilets and sinks, the adventure on the Northern Adventure seems to be an ability to deal with far too many glitches on a vessel that holds its passengers captive for over 18 hours.
The CBC website had details on the numerous maladies of the ship and how they have impacted on BC Ferries this month.
New ferry needs work, faces refit
Last Updated: Friday, April 27, 2007 6:38 PM PT
Less than a month after its introduction, BC Ferries' newest ship is being pulled from service for a 10-day refit to deal with a host of onboard problems.
The MV Northern Adventure, which replaced the Queen of the North on the northern service, made its maiden voyage under BC Ferries colours on March 31.
It had been compared to a cruise ship and was billed as the centrepiece of the corporation's plans for an enhanced travel service along the B.C. coast.
But there have been a host of problems reported with the new vessel.
BC Ferries had to apologize to a passenger who had just had knee surgery because the elevators, the escalators and even a robotic wheelchair didn't work and she had a long and painful trek up and down the stairs during her trip.
She also reported problems with the public address system, the heat in some cabins and problems with toilets and phones. Another passenger told CBC Radio that there have been problems with the alarm system and that used water from the sinks and showers backed up and flooded the galley during her trip. Earlier, there had been a 24-hour delay on a southbound voyage to Port Hardy, which included a fire extinguisher on the vehicle deck that came loose and released dry chemicals, setting off the smoke alarm.
In a release Friday, the corporation said, "the Northern Adventure has been experiencing some issues following its initial introduction." The ship will be out of service from May 9-19, undergoing a refit at the Deas Pacific Marine facility on the Fraser River in Richmond.
The northern routes will be served during that time by the Queen of Prince Rupert, which has just undergone a five-week refit.
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