BLUENOSE II REFIT WOES /No sailing this summer /Harbour trial shows steering issue amid rising cost of restoration /PROVINCIAL REPORTER MICHAEL GORMAN mgor [email protected] Bluenose II will almost certainly miss the rest of this sailing season while the cost of its rebuild will continue to climb. That was the word from the man overseeing the project following a harbour trial that was announced eight minutes after the ship slipped away from the dock. David Darrow, deputy minister to Premier Stephen McNeil, said he was uncertain until Tuesday morning if the trial would actually happen. He said the ship passed all of its tests except with regards to steering. He said tests of the vessel’s stability have been good so far. “The problem has to do with the amount of force required to turn the vessel’s wheel, he said during a news conference at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg. “In turn, that problem has to do with the weight of the vessel’s new steel rudder. While his main goal is getting the ship back in service as soon as possible, Darrow was doubtful that would be this year. “I, like everyone else involved, and many Nova Scotians, would like to see this vessel sailing again as soon as possible. However, there is one thing I will not do to enable this to happen — I will not cut corners. . . . We are not going to do it in a rush and hope we get it right .” Darrow, whom McNeil placed in charge of the file May 28 after a previously scheduled harbour trial didn’t happen, said the major remaining obstacle is the ship’s steering. With a 3,150-kilogram steel rudder, the ship’s wheel is simply too difficult to turn, he said. That problem was evident as Bluenose II returned from its short sail Tuesday. The man at the wheel, who looked like someone who would protect Tom Brady’s blind side, appeared to be putting all of his weight into turning the wheel at times. Darrow said the wheel requires more than 100 pounds of force to turn; a ship the size of Bluenose II shouldn’t need more than 30 pounds of force. A team assembled under Darrow’s watch determined there were three options to fix the problem: install a hydraulics assist system, alter the existing rudder, or design and install a new lighter rudder. The team concluded hydraulics was the best option, with alterations to the existing rudder the backup plan. “Hydraulics-assisted steering is a proven technology and very common in the marine business,” said Darrow. Design work has already started and he expects to be ready to apply for regulatory approval soon. Once approval is received, fabrication will start. Lunenburg Shipyard Alliance will install and test the equipment . “I can tell you we have the pedal to the metal on the design work. However, when it comes to regulatory approval and equipment fabrication, we are at the mercy of other companies.” Wilson Fitt, whom Darrow hired as a consultant at $1,200 a day to report directly to him about the project’s progress, has hired Nova Scotia naval architects. Iain Tulloch will be paid $800 a day to design the hydraulics system, while Laurie McGowan will b e paid $500 a day to develop the backup plan, which is to add buoyancy to the rudder. Fitt previously worked on the Bluenose II project, but Darrow said he isn’t concerned about any conflicts. “I was looking for somebody that could hit the ground running, that was familiar with the vessel.” Darrow said it became clear on May 29 when he visited the ship that the vessel couldn’t go back into service with the steering the way it was. There was no mention of that when Kelliann Dean, deputy minister of communities, culture and heritage, testified last week before the provincial public accounts committee. Darrow conceded that there are “reputational issues” for Lunenburg and its shipbuilders. “I wish I could undo what has been done, but that’s not possible.” The project is more than two years overdue and almost $5 million over budget. Already at $19 million, the project costs continue to climb. There are invoices for work with a disputed value that could reach $5 million. Now with a new component being added, the cost will go up further. Darrow would not speculate on the time or cost required to design, fabricate and install the hydraulics, although he said the money for the work would come from a separate account than the one being used for the construction of the ship. Dean testified last week that there have been continuing disputes between the project builders, the designers and architects, and the project management firm. Tory MLA Eddie Orrell, who was in Lunenburg, said he has no more confidence in the Liberal government’s handling of the issue than before Tuesday’s trial.
Posted on: Wed, 25 Jun 2014 15:46:53 +0000
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