Tag: ferry

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Shocking 40% of Toronto Island ferries out of service on peak tourism weekend

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From another Canadian CTV News Toronto, today: Those visiting the Toronto Islands this weekend could see longer wait times when returning to the city as two of the five ferry boats will be out of service. The city says the Thomas Rennie, which has a capacity of 915 passengers, and The Trillium, an 815-passenger heritage ferry that only operates in certain weather conditions, are undergoing repairs and aren’t anticipated to be back in service for a couple of weeks. In Scotland, sometimes 2 or 3 out of the 34 ferries can be out of service, less than 10%, but imagine … Continue reading Shocking 40% of Toronto Island ferries out of service on peak tourism weekend

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Ferry cancellations led to massive delays in British Columbia

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From CTV News, Vancouver, today: Ferry cancellations led to massive delays for people trying to return to the Lower Mainland from Salt Spring Island on Sunday night. Multiple BC Ferries sailings were cancelled, including the 7:30 p.m. departure from Long Harbour to Tsawwassen. Some travellers decided to try their luck at a second ferry terminal, Fulford Harbour. They were told by BC Ferries staff there would be no ferries available at that location either, due to staffing shortages and mechanical issues. For anyone hoping to catch a ferry, the only hope was making it onto an evening sailing from a … Continue reading Ferry cancellations led to massive delays in British Columbia

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‘Stranded and dying’: Canadian cancer patient’s family calls for improvements to ferry service

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From CTV News, Vancouver, yesterday: Gracie MacDonald snapped a photo of her brother on a sailing boat a Good Samaritan was using to take them from Denman Island to the closest hospital on Vancouver Island never suspecting it would be the last image of his life. He died hours later at North Island Hospital Comox Valley. Andy MacDonald was terminally ill with cancer but hadn’t expected to succumb within months of his surprise diagnosis, and none of the family had anticipated it would be a scramble to get him to the hospital after the cable ferry broke down yet again … Continue reading ‘Stranded and dying’: Canadian cancer patient’s family calls for improvements to ferry service

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Ferry service – ‘bad as it’s ever been, only going to get worse’ in affluent USA state of Washington

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From the Orcasonian, yesterday: There have been a number of overview stories recently about Washington State Ferries, including Tom Banse’s good one May 31 in Salish Current. They seem to have been occasioned by WSF finally issuing bid documents for the first new hybrid-electric ferries, the first of which may join WSF’s aging and depleted fleet in 2028. For those of us in San Juan County, dependent on ferries to connect us to one another and to the mainland, this announcement did nothing but underscore that the reality that our ferry service — bad as it’s ever been — is only … Continue reading Ferry service – ‘bad as it’s ever been, only going to get worse’ in affluent USA state of Washington

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As CalMac averages 99% lifeline English ferry service is at shocking 78% reliability with new boats five years away

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From Island Echo, yesterday Red Funnel is to order 3 brand new ferries for its East Cowes-Southampton route, but they won’t be sailing until at least 2028. It has been confirmed by the cross-Solent ferry operator that it intends to invest around £100million in 3 new vessels to replace the ageing Red Eagle, Red Falcon and Red Osprey, with the benefit of an improved crossing time. The new ships will be diesel-powered, rather than battery or electric, and will be smaller than the current Raptor-class vessels – but will have a ‘similar’ capacity. The contract to build the 3 new … Continue reading As CalMac averages 99% lifeline English ferry service is at shocking 78% reliability with new boats five years away

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70% Dissatisfaction with lifeline US ferry service costing 50% more than comparable CalMac 100% service

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By Professor John Robertson From the Dispatch in Washington State, USA, yesterday: Nearly 3,800 ferry riders and 544 non-riders took part in the FROG survey, with the number of riders on all routes saying they are either satisfied or mostly satisfied with service at 54%, which is down from 58% in 2023. The Vashon triangle had the greatest percentage of riders saying they are dissatisfied with service, at 70%. Last year, in Kiro 7, we read: Vashon Island (10 000) commuters to Seattle in Washington State are up in arms about their $27, 15-minute ferry service: Vashon Island residents are … Continue reading 70% Dissatisfaction with lifeline US ferry service costing 50% more than comparable CalMac 100% service

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Ferrymageddon as US travellers face four years or more of delays due to aging ferries

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By Professor John Robertson Today, in the Seattle Times: Washington ferry riders face a month of longer wait times as the 144-vehicle Suquamish ferry undergoes routine maintenance. Brought into service in 2018, Suquamish is the youngest ferry in WSF. With an average ferry age of 32, the system faces $270 million in deferred maintenance. Although the system needs 26 boats to run at full service, it currently has 21 ferries, so it’s on a reduced schedule for at least the next four years.  The average age of a CalMac ferry is 24. On May 3, we could also report: Washington State Ferries in … Continue reading Ferrymageddon as US travellers face four years or more of delays due to aging ferries

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Second New Zealand ferry loses power and drifts

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From RNZ yesterday: A Bluebridge ferry passenger says people were plunged into darkness when a ship briefly lost power coming into Wellington Harbour on Saturday afternoon. Wellington Harbourmaster Grant Nalder said the ferry had a problem on board which caused it to lose power about 4.45pm. “They passed that on, assistance was called, there was a tug heading out towards them. They actually resolved it themselves, got power on, carried on up towards the berth and used the tug as a precaution getting into the berth,” he said. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/517826/bluebridge-ferry-loses-power-while-entering-wellington-harbour From Maritime Executive in January 2024: New Zealand Prosecutes RoRo Operator … Continue reading Second New Zealand ferry loses power and drifts

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US ferry system in ‘severe turmoil’ as 38 lawmakers write to Congress ‘urgently’ requesting extra funds

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From the Seattle Medium today: The Washington State Ferry system (WSF) is currently facing severe turmoil, prompting 38 elected leaders to send a letter to Congress urgently requesting funding “at the highest level possible” to aid WSF in its operations. The agency is currently operating with just over half the number of boats it needs to effectively serve the region. Despite receiving over $140 million in federal grants over the past two years, WSF requires additional funding and time to address staffing and vessel availability crises. In an effort to restore full service as quickly as possible, lawmakers from seven … Continue reading US ferry system in ‘severe turmoil’ as 38 lawmakers write to Congress ‘urgently’ requesting extra funds

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Ferries out of service? 29% out of service in affluent Washington State and only 9% out of service in Scotland as Calmac continues at 99% on time

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By Professor John Robertson, Scotland’s only Ferry Correspondent who looks at other ferry services too. From King 5 Seattle today: Washington State Ferries (WSF) is preparing to see more than 300,000 passengers for Memorial Day Weekend, enough people to fill T-Mobile Park six times. This is the start of the busy summer season when the ferries see double the number of passengers as they do in the winter. This influx of people comes as the system struggles with a shortage of boats. Washington State Ferries has 21 boats in its fleet, but only 15 are in service currently. They need … Continue reading Ferries out of service? 29% out of service in affluent Washington State and only 9% out of service in Scotland as Calmac continues at 99% on time