B.C. Ferries is going to have to pull the engine out of its broken-down ferry and have a closer look before it knows the extent of the problem.
The Coastal Renaissance, which broke down Thursday, Aug. 17, has now been towed across the Strait of Georgia from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo’s Departure Bay terminal before it goes to the shipyard for repairs.
B.C. Ferries held a press conference Friday, Aug. 18, to provide an update on the first phase of its response plan to the breakdown. The ferry, which had been handling sailings on the Tsawwassen-Duke Point major route, is expected to be out of service for weeks.
Nicolas Jimenez, B.C. Ferries CEO, said the engine will need to be physically removed from the vessel, an operation that will require specialized equipment.
“This is going to take a fair bit of time for us to really understand the nature of the damage, because it’s housed in the casing where you can’t actually see it, so we’re going to have to get inside, remove the engine and inspect it,” he said.
As the Coastal Renaissance is repaired, Jimenez said another vessel is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so no sailings will need to be cancelled on those days. However, no other cancelled sailings on other days of the week will be able to be salvaged. B.C. Ferries considered adding sailings earlier in the morning and later in the evening, but decided it wasn’t possible.
“We are unfortunately not able to do that given operational constraints,” the CEO said. “The ships are already running 20 hours of the day. They tie up after midnight and they get going again early in the morning around 5 a.m. … The ships need time overnight in order for us to do the daily maintenance that’s required to keep them running safely and successfully.”
B.C. Ferries has been busy contacting affected travellers, and will do so as long as necessary, Jimenez said. The company knows travellers will be continued to be impacted over the coming weekends, considering the looming Labour Day long weekend and the recent overflow traffic at Horseshoe Bay terminal. Jimenez said B.C. Ferries has upped its traffic control efforts there, secured West Vancouver Police Department presence on site, fully staffed its ticket booths and added terminal staff to ensure communication with travellers.
Asked about perceptions of diminished trust in B.C. Ferries, the CEO said he understands travellers’ frustration when sailings gets cancelled. The Coastal-class vessels, which entered service in the mid-2000s, are generally among the most reliable in the fleet, he said, and so this week’s breakdown is “unexpected, unusual and obviously very complicated.”
Jimenez said only 0.3 per cent of B.C. Ferries sailings get cancelled due to mechanical issues.
“They’re generally pretty good, pretty reliable – 99.7 per cent,” he said. “That doesn’t mean much to somebody who’s had their trip on whatever day disrupted.”
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Suncor Energy has been fined $90,000 after pleading guilty to two charges stemming from a worker injury in 2019 aboard its production vessel in an oilfield off the coast of Newfoundland.
In a news release Thursday, the province’s offshore oil regular said the company must also give $20,000 to the College of the North Atlantic’s health and safety management program.
The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board says Calgary-based Suncor pleaded guilty on Sept. 5 for failing to ensure the safety of its employees and failing to ensure its employees wore a safety harness attached to a lifeline while inside a confined space.
The board says a worker fell 7.6 metres from a safety ladder while testing for hydrogen sulfide in a ballast tank on the floating production and storage vessel in the Terra Nova offshore oilfield.
An agreed statement of facts says two emergency response workers then went into the tank to tend to the fallen man, and they were not wearing gas masks.
Suncor Energy is the majority owner of the Terra Nova oilfield, and it reported net earnings of $1.57 billion in the second quarter of this year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
Toronto-Dominion Bank has named new co-heads of its U.S. commercial banking business.
TD says Andy Bregenzer and Jill Gateman will jointly lead the operations.
The bank says the appointments follow the announcement earlier this year of Chris Giamo’s retirement.
Bregenzer will focus on leading all aspects of the regional commercial bank, including small business.
Gateman will lead TD’s national commercial banking effort in the U.S., including middle market, sponsor-backed finance and TD’s other specialty lending lines of business.
TD, which is working to resolve investigations into failures in its anti-money laundering program in the U.S., announced last week that chief executive Bharat Masrani would retire next year and be replaced by Raymond Chun.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2024.
MONTREAL – Lightspeed Commerce Inc. says it is conducting a review of its business and operations including talks relating to a range of potential strategic alternatives.
The Montreal-based payments technology company made the comments after reports concerning a potential transaction involving the company.
Lightspeed says it periodically undertakes a review of its business and operations with a view of realizing its full potential.
A strategic review is often seen by investors as a prelude to a sale by a company.
Lightspeed says its board of directors is committed to acting in the best interests of the company and its stakeholders.
Company founder Dax Dasilva returned to the role of chief executive officer earlier this year and has been working to return the company to profitability.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2024.
