Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Rick Nicholls says problems that delayed the launch of the Pelee Islander II have been taken care of and the ferry will start running this spring.
A published report says the electrical system was not compatible with Canadian shore power, there were huge leaks in the air conditioning system and that the engine had significant problems that pushed back the planned launch in September of 2018.
The $40-million vessel is now in ship-shape and, despite the extensive repairs, won't cost taxpayers any more than estimated.
"Yes there were some problems, however, the good news is that all those issues have been taken care of, the manufacturer resolved the issues very quickly and it was all covered under warranty," he says.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Transportation released late Friday evening:
"These types of issues are typical when building a new vessel of this magnitude. It is a state of the art vessel and its technology is advanced. The manufacturer resolved all of these issues as quickly as possible. None of the issues impacted the in-service date."
Essex MPP Taras Natyshak is less convinced the issues have been resolved and points out the delay could have been avoided by selecting a local company like Hike Metal of Wheatley to build the ship.
"We need some serious assurances that this thing is operating and has the ability to operate at 110%, given the challenges of Lake Erie and the nature of the weather that can pop up out of anywhere," says Natyshak.
He's concerned about the lack of transparency from various officials about the state of the ship.
"It certainly looks as if they weren't open and transparent about the transaction and the qualifications of the shipbuilder and the quality of the vessel from the start," he says. "I would urge them to launch an investigation and put all the efforts into finding out how this happened and getting down to the bottom of why we would accept a vessel in the first place that had so many deficiencies."
Nicholls says the ministry worked during the summer and fall to ensure proper training of the crew so when the green light is given, the new vessel will set sail in April.