Despite a failing ferry service, Canadian media support local shipyards over cheap, unsafe, unreliable, outdated, foreign vessels

From the Times Colonist in British Columbia, yesterday:

Editorial: B.C. Ferries’ vessels should be built in B.C.

B.C. Ferries has decided to buy four more Island class boats to serve the Nanaimo-Gabriola Island and Campbell River-Quadra Island routes. Here’s the problem. All four boats will be built at a Romanian shipyard. And this makes no sense.

So how can such a small economy beat out local yards here at home? No doubt part of the reason is wage rates. Romania is a poor country, and its workers earn less than ours.

https://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/editorial-bc-ferries-vessels-should-be-built-in-bc-8316651

Add to the above factor – low wages – and no doubt lower safety standards as in Turkey where some Scottish politicians want to source ferries, there is longer-term reliability and performance.

Strangely BC Ferries (Canada) does not seem to be aware of the Lake Ontario (Canada) ferries fiasco where two ferries also built in Romania and delivered in 2021, were still not in service two years later due to safety concerns.

https://www.thewhig.com/news/loyalist-township-to-meet-with-transport-minister-about-ferry-delay

The MV Glen Sannox is late and over-budget, though less so than HS2, the aircraft carriers, the frigates, the destroyers and that wee tank that makes soldiers too ill to drive, but it is also a great opportunity to be exploited.

The expertise developed in building the delayed gas-powered ferries will pay off handsomely in the years to come as LNG-powered ships will account for 60% of new orders by 2025:

https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/asia/lng-powered-ships-account-60-new-orders-2025-korean-study

and

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-51114275.amp

Scotland is leading the way, and the Scottish Government’s investment in Ferguson Marine, has also given the Port Glasgow based shipyard a head-start in the construction of LNG ships in the UK

Full piece on this by Tom Hodgens last year in TuS:

The expertise developed in building the delayed gas-powered ferries will pay off handsomely in the years to come

2 thoughts on “Despite a failing ferry service, Canadian media support local shipyards over cheap, unsafe, unreliable, outdated, foreign vessels”

  1. “Despite a failing ferry service, Canadian media support local shipyards over cheap, unsafe, unreliable, outdated, foreign vessels”……

    Meanwhile in Scotland the Ferries here are constantly subjected to forensic negative scrutiny via a dominant “Foreign” (controlled) “media” that shows NO support or offers any praise to the Scottish government ………..

    But instead what is incessantly promoted is (political) attacks via their publishing an abundance of both negative articles and negative broadcasts on a multitude of what they proclaim is #SNPBAD Ferry stories and also the same treatment is dished out by them on all other topics too against the SNP/Scottish government.

    So apparently tis always #SNPBAD while ignoring the Elephant(s) in the room i.e. the many failures of both the Tory UK and Labour Welsh governments in their poor performances on public services and too their many failed, yet not promoted as much (or such), unsuccessful respective government initiatives/endeavours……

    All, as part of , their (controlled and dominant) “Foreign” media’s ongoing campaign (interference) and relentless fight (opposition ) against Scottish independence…….

    NMRN

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  2. I’ll grant you John that wages in Romania will be lower than eg UK, although what’s left as spending power from their wages after essentials is not near so great a difference as you might imagine.

    On safety however, we will have to disagree…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.