Under the microscope

While he admits there are some things that can be improved, Wayne Follett says some of the criticism being leveled at Marine Atlantic is unfair.

The president and CEO of the Crown corporation cites the media attention over the latest incident involving the Atlantic Vision as one example.

The Vision was docking in Port aux Basques on Tuesday morning when its fan tail slipped between two bumpers on the side of the dock. The mishap caused an abrasion about one foot long on the vessel just above the waterline.

However, it did not impact the ship's sea worthiness or structural integrity as the fan tail is not a structural component. The fan tail, which is used to make the vessel more fuel efficient, was repaired by the next day.

Passengers booked to depart Port aux Basques on the Vision early that afternoon were delayed about four or five hours. Mr. Follett explained that because safety is paramount, departure was delayed until both company personnel and Corner Brook-based Transport Canada ship safety inspectors could inspect the vessel.

Mr. Follett compared the incident to a tractor-trailer rubbing against a light pole when parking. He said similar incidents have occurred with other ferries in the fleet.

Had it been any other shipping or transportation company, he said the minor incident would have never registered on the media's radar, or even been brought to the attention of the company president.

Mr. Follett said the microscopic media and public attention paid to the company, and especially the Atlantic Vision, is a huge distraction to the people trying to manage the service.

He said long-time employees have told him the same criticisms and doubts arose when the Caribou and the Smallwood joined the fleet.

People said the ships were too big, used too much fuel, were the wrong configuration, were too different - many of the same things being said about the Vision.

Mr. Follett said there was a learning curve for employees and managers when the two sister superferries were introduced into service.

He said the Vision is still going through that curve as it has only been operating on the service for four months, and it's doing it at the peak of the busy summer season.

"There is no used car lot for superferries," said Mr. Follett, adding the Vision is the best choice from what was available to the company.

He said as customer feedback is reviewed, the company will look at making some adjustments where they are technically and economically feasible.

Unfortunate issues

Incidents like the ship veering off course while attempting to leave Port aux Basques Harbour (June 19) the fire in the Vision's thermal heating unit (July 29) haven't helped.

Mr. Follett said while the internal investigation into the veering incident isn't yet complete, it "can be chalked up to" the crew learning about the ship's maneuverability and how it deals with certain wind conditions.

He said the fire was a mechanical issue that could have happened to any vessel; unfortunately, it happened to the Vision during the busiest week of the summer season.

Marine Atlantic lost nearly one-third of its capacity when the Vision was out of service for a little more than three days, during a time when the company was operating at nearly 100 per cent of its capacity.

Mr. Follett said over a nine-day period, some 32,000 passengers with reservations were rebooked and carried to their destinations, nearly all within 24 hours of when they had originally planned to travel.

"I think that's a significant accomplishment by our employees," he said.

The company regrets the impact on its customers, said Mr. Follett, the worst hit of which were customers booked on the Argentia crossing who had to drive to Port aux Basques and commercial traffic, which faced longer delays.

Marine Atlantic is in the process of replacing the liners of both thermal heating units with heavier duty materials to prevent future problems.

Easy target

Mr. Follett the constant negativity about Marine Atlantic, and its newest ferry, need to be reset somehow.

"People need to give the vessel and the company a chance to make it work," he said.

He said the vast majority of the customer feedback on the Vision is positive, while some media seem to focus on the negative or only do stories when there's been a problem.

Mr. Follett said Marine Atlantic is also an easy target for some people looking to score political points.

He said the management renewal that some critics are asking for is already well underway.

Mr. Follett has been president and CEO for nine months, there major reorganization underway and three new vice-president positions were created in July to help move the company forward.

The vice-president of customers experience has a key mandate to improve information flow to passenger and commercial customers. The vice-president of operations has a narrowed focus on operating and maintaining assets and vessels. The vice-president of strategy and corporate affairs will look at internal and external communications, government relations and help manage transition.

The company is also nearing the completion of its work on fleet renewal, said Mr. Follett, who expects the federal government will have all the necessary information by this fall.

editor@gulfnews.ca

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