Marine Atlantic announces another delay in new vessel entering service

There will be additional delays to the start of the Argentia service as problems persist with the Ala’suinu.

Marine Atlantic and vessel owner Stena are working in close collaboration and resolving the issue as quickly as possible. While it is hoped that a resolution will be found soon and that port trials will begin shortly thereafter, some uncertainty remains. To facilitate this ongoing work, Argentia crossings up to July 10 will be cancelled and re-routed through Port aux Basques. Additional updates will be required if more impacts are required.

The primary issue impacting the vessel’s fuel and lubrication system is debris in the lines. As technicians clear a section of line, they discover more debris which impacts the anticipated schedule of completion. This has been an ongoing challenge over the past three weeks.

To increase available capacity on the Port aux Basques service during this period, and to transport impacted Argentia customers, Marine Atlantic is adjusting its schedule to add additional crossings using the Blue Puttees, Highlanders, and Leif Ericson. Customers whose travel dates have been impacted by these delays will be contacted directly by Marine Atlantic.