To keep the schedule of former Camille Marcoux, the government corporation specified Steerprop double pods (2 propellers on each).The vessel has been out for months and has anorther blown gasket,The in-water section could possibly be replaced by single prop pod.Would it sound feasible to just remove the front prop from existing pods?Better take 20 more minutes on a 32 mile run than not cross at all.
Ferries brought in to take up the slack have not performed any better. This has all the earmarks of a Quebec government orchestrated boondoggle.
The ship, acquired by the STQ at a cost of 175 million, had been decommissioned on Dec 18, 2018 due to major construction defect, after less than four years of service. The 'Apollo', acquired at a cost of 2.1 million, had only sailed for 21 days before being definitively withdrawn from service due to major structural problems. For several weeks, ships successively followed one another to ensure maritime service and air links were set up. For the past few months, the âSaaremaa 1â has operated the Matane â Baie-Comeau â Godbout crossing, however, not without trouble either. In September, the âSaaremaa Iâ damaged a wharf at Godbout. About a week later, it was docked due to an electronic problem.
RenĂŠ Lebrun and Martin Saint-Pierre, former STQ employees, say their attempts to raise concerns during the building process were ignored and they were subject to reprisals by higher-ups.
Lebrun says he was ultimately fired for pointing out problems when the ferry was being built. (The STQ says he was fired for insubordination.)
Seen here on sea trial from the building yard (Fiskerstrand) in 2010:
And in her new colours in Oct. 2020:
She worked fine in those 10 years, incl. an Atlantic crossing on her own keel.
Maybe change of hull colour had something to do with the change of fortune??
The big question about the F A Gauthier ferry is why did the Provincial government hire a builder from Italy; is the Canadian ship building industry incapable of building a ferry? To make things worse, they failed to provide their own inspectors to monitor the construction after awarding the contract to the lowest bidder and fired the guy who raised the alarm. Only governments can afford to be that incompetent and stay in business.
Lowest bidder.The pods (Steerprop) are built in Findland.The one propeller model seems to work fine.They were requested to builder and would have been chosen if the ferry built in Canada.Private companys have built offshore for much lesser cost.(CSL ,DesgagnĂŠs,etc.)
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Google translation for us linguistically limited:
Thatâs the first drydock.The maintenance is not the problem this time.Maybe to many gears and vibrations with these dual props?.Or ship to large for this speed?
I have worked on multiple PSVâs with Steerprop dual-end CRP. We had never any problems with them. PSV mid winter North Sea is about as heavy use they will ever encounter.
I would think the user is the problem.
Norway is in the process of changing the ferrys on the coast to more âeco friendlyâ how about just buying second hand proven vessels?
This bad girl and her sisters are soon available.
Very interesting.Thank you.