Ala’suinu Preparing for Port Trials - Argentia Service to Begin July 3

St. John’s, NL – Earlier this month, Marine Atlantic announced that a problem with the Ala’suinu’s lubrication system would result in a delay to the start of the Argentia service. 

Unfortunately, work to correct the issue has taken longer than expected. Repairs to the lubrication system are now nearing completion and the organization is set to begin port trials and final integration activities. The revised first Argentia crossing of the season is scheduled for July 3. This impact will result in three additional return Argentia crossings being re-routed through the Gulf service (North Sydney - Port aux Basques). 

Argentia customers 
Customers impacted by the delay in the Argentia service will be re-routed through the Gulf service (Port aux Basques – North Sydney). All customers will receive notifications and an updated itinerary with their new reservation details. Argentia customers will receive compensation in accordance with Marine Atlantic policy. 

Port aux Basques customers 
To increase available capacity on the Port aux Basques service during this period, and to transport impacted Argentia customers, Marine Atlantic is further adjusting its schedule between June 26 – July 1 to add additional crossings. As a result, there will be adjustments to the sailing schedule on the Port aux Basques service. These schedule changes will result in customers receiving notifications of their new departure times. Any customers with crossing times more than 5 hours from their original crossing time will receive compensation in accordance with Marine Atlantic policy. 

Any customer who would like to discuss alternate travel arrangements is encouraged to visit www.marineatlantic.ca or contact the Reservations Team at 1-800-341-7981. 

Quotes 

“Marine Atlantic sincerely apologizes to our customers for this inconvenience. These disruptions have a significant impact on our customers’ travel plans and together with the vessel owner, both organizations have been working tirelessly to expeditiously resolve these mechanical issues. Despite these initial setbacks, we are confident that the vessel will be a great asset to our service. The Ala’suinu is an impressive vessel and we look forward to welcoming customers aboard it once it enters service. We thank everyone for their patience and understanding during this challenging period.” 

Murray Hupman 
President and CEO