N.L. government fumbled purchase of 2 ferries, according to new AG report
CBC
A scathing auditor general report released earlier this week found the provincial government mismanaged its project to obtain two new provincial ferries in 2013.
The report, released Wednesday, raised a number of concerns related to the Department of Transportation's management of procuring the MV Veteran and MV Legionnaire ferries, which included problems with a lack of training, oversight during sea trials, concerns during the construction phases and first days of service.
The Veteran and the Legionnaire serve Fogo Island and Bell Island, respectively.
The report found the department's mismanagement may have led to "significant operational delays, service disruptions and substantial unplanned costs during the construction, operationalization and initial operations of the vessels."
The total cost of both ferries was about $120 million, which included wharf upgrades in Newfoundland. In their first three years in service the two vessels spent 607 days out of service combined. Equipment failures and vessel damages also resulted in unplanned costs of about $4.2 million.
The audit began in March 2018 when the public accounts committee asked the auditor general to review the process used to purchase the two vessels and the mechanical issues experienced since they began service.
"Residents of the province rely on the daily services of government-owned and/or private vessels," the report reads.