Post by ferryfast admin on Mar 24, 2006 20:00:21 GMT -5
Friday, March 24, 2006 · Last updated 8:17 a.m. PT
Ferry loss threatens northern B.C. coastal economy
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRINCE RUPERT, British Columbia -- Before the Queen of the North ferry sank in Wright Sound, it helped keep the economy afloat in otherwise isolated communities with hundreds of residents.
Towns and villages on the northern British Columbia coast and in the Queen Charlotte Islands relied on the 409-foot ferry to provide much more than a scenic ride for tourists on regular runs between Prince Rupert and Port Hardy at the northern tip of Vancouver Island. Many communities lack roads and depend mainly on ferry service for food and general cargo. In most cases, the only alternatives are float planes and barges.
Two people were missing and presumed drowned after the vessel, carrying 101 passengers and crew, hit a rock early Wednesday and sank about an hour after those aboard took to life rafts in choppy seas and bone-chilling 45 mph winds. Everyone else on board was rescued, with only a few minor injuries reported, after the Canadian coast guard and residents of the small Indian community of Hartley Bay raced to the scene.
Early reports that passengers Gerald Foisy, 44, and Shirley Rosette, 43, both of 100 Mile House, had been seen among those who were rescued turned out to be false, British Columbia Ferries President David Hahn said Thursday.
"They're likely on the ship," he said. "I would prefer that we're sitting here 12 hours from now and they turn up somewhere. I'd be thrilled. I think everybody would.
"(But) I don't have data that steers me to another point. I don't like it. It's a bad scenario."
Eileen Rosette, 46, of Williams Lake, said her cousin, who has two teenage sons, and Foisy had been together for about two years. She said she was still holding out hope but added, "It's been really difficult for us here."
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constable Alain Beaulieu said investigators had not ruled out the possibility that the two might have headed home without being noticed after being taken to Hartley Bay, about 6 1/2 miles northwest of the wreck, but relatives said they had not heard from the pair.
"It sounds like hopes are diminishing," provincial Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon said.
In economic terms, the Queen of the North has been the "main driver" for the north coast and the loss is "devastating," said Steve Smith, general manager of the Crest Hotel in Prince Rupert and chairman of a regional ferry advisory committee.
"For the people on the Queen Charlotte Islands, it's their only conduit to the mainland for groceries, medical supplies and goods and services," Smith said. "A lot of stuff moves on the water."
Then there is the potential impact on tourism if replacement ferry service is delayed or inadequate.
"I hope we are fortunate enough to be able to charter a ship and do some configuration changes to the route and make it work," he said.
Acting Mayor Tony Briglio told reporters his counterpart in Masset asked him to pass on the word that the town is out of milk.
"We're hoping there's going to be a quick resolve in terms of getting some replacement vessel here," Briglio said.
Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski has offered to allow the state ferry Matanuska to stop in Prince Rupert on its regular weekly runs between Ketchikan, Alaska, and Bellingham, Wash.
The Matanuska can carry 499 passengers and 88 vehicles, compared with 700 passengers and 115 for the Queen of the North, which covered a 280-mile route.
In Shearwater, Doug Sharkey, retired and a member of the local chamber of commerce, said 90 percent of the food for that part of the coast comes by ferry, as well as all building materials and manufactured goods.
For the immediate future, though, Sharkey said residents of the isolated coastal communities are in no danger of being without supplies.
"Nobody lives here without a stockpile of food," said Sharkey.
The "biggest concern is not what happens in the short term but medium term," said Trevor Jarvis, village administrator in Masset. "What's going to happen in the summer? We've had a couple of good tourism years here in Masset, and I'd hate to see that drop."
There were reports of hurried purchasing of goods in the Queen Charlottes, although Hahn and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell promised renewed shipments as soon as possible.
"In terms of storage, there may not be ferry service, but there will be supply service to be there for people whether it's produce, milk, or whatever ... and we'll work with B.C. Ferries to make sure it happens," Campbell said.
Summer ferry service remains less clear, however. Hahn said the Queen of Prince Rupert, now undergoing a refit, was scheduled to remain in drydock until May 12 but will be rushed back into service by late next week.
"Normal levels would be having two ships in the middle of the summer," said Hahn. "I think we've got some hard work to do in finding alternate means."
The ferry corporation has contracted with an outside firm to provide barge service to the Queen Charlottes and north coast.
Another concern was environmental damage as a 2 1/2-mile-long oil slick spread from the sunken ferry, which was carrying 57,200 gallons of diesel fuel, 5,200 gallons of light lubricating oil and about 57 gallons of hydraulic oil.
Environmental and cleanup experts have arrived at the site, and "we'll get a better sense of the state of the sea bottom, state of the ship, besides doing the pollution issues," Hahn said.
Chief Robert Hill of the Gitk'a'ata Indian tribe, which is based at Hartley Bay, said damage to marine life seemed inevitable, adding, "Our people continue to rely on the marine resources for food and to preserve our culture and way of life."
---
On the Net:
B.C. Ferries: www.bcferries.com/
Ferry loss threatens northern B.C. coastal economy
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRINCE RUPERT, British Columbia -- Before the Queen of the North ferry sank in Wright Sound, it helped keep the economy afloat in otherwise isolated communities with hundreds of residents.
Towns and villages on the northern British Columbia coast and in the Queen Charlotte Islands relied on the 409-foot ferry to provide much more than a scenic ride for tourists on regular runs between Prince Rupert and Port Hardy at the northern tip of Vancouver Island. Many communities lack roads and depend mainly on ferry service for food and general cargo. In most cases, the only alternatives are float planes and barges.
Two people were missing and presumed drowned after the vessel, carrying 101 passengers and crew, hit a rock early Wednesday and sank about an hour after those aboard took to life rafts in choppy seas and bone-chilling 45 mph winds. Everyone else on board was rescued, with only a few minor injuries reported, after the Canadian coast guard and residents of the small Indian community of Hartley Bay raced to the scene.
Early reports that passengers Gerald Foisy, 44, and Shirley Rosette, 43, both of 100 Mile House, had been seen among those who were rescued turned out to be false, British Columbia Ferries President David Hahn said Thursday.
"They're likely on the ship," he said. "I would prefer that we're sitting here 12 hours from now and they turn up somewhere. I'd be thrilled. I think everybody would.
"(But) I don't have data that steers me to another point. I don't like it. It's a bad scenario."
Eileen Rosette, 46, of Williams Lake, said her cousin, who has two teenage sons, and Foisy had been together for about two years. She said she was still holding out hope but added, "It's been really difficult for us here."
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constable Alain Beaulieu said investigators had not ruled out the possibility that the two might have headed home without being noticed after being taken to Hartley Bay, about 6 1/2 miles northwest of the wreck, but relatives said they had not heard from the pair.
"It sounds like hopes are diminishing," provincial Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon said.
In economic terms, the Queen of the North has been the "main driver" for the north coast and the loss is "devastating," said Steve Smith, general manager of the Crest Hotel in Prince Rupert and chairman of a regional ferry advisory committee.
"For the people on the Queen Charlotte Islands, it's their only conduit to the mainland for groceries, medical supplies and goods and services," Smith said. "A lot of stuff moves on the water."
Then there is the potential impact on tourism if replacement ferry service is delayed or inadequate.
"I hope we are fortunate enough to be able to charter a ship and do some configuration changes to the route and make it work," he said.
Acting Mayor Tony Briglio told reporters his counterpart in Masset asked him to pass on the word that the town is out of milk.
"We're hoping there's going to be a quick resolve in terms of getting some replacement vessel here," Briglio said.
Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski has offered to allow the state ferry Matanuska to stop in Prince Rupert on its regular weekly runs between Ketchikan, Alaska, and Bellingham, Wash.
The Matanuska can carry 499 passengers and 88 vehicles, compared with 700 passengers and 115 for the Queen of the North, which covered a 280-mile route.
In Shearwater, Doug Sharkey, retired and a member of the local chamber of commerce, said 90 percent of the food for that part of the coast comes by ferry, as well as all building materials and manufactured goods.
For the immediate future, though, Sharkey said residents of the isolated coastal communities are in no danger of being without supplies.
"Nobody lives here without a stockpile of food," said Sharkey.
The "biggest concern is not what happens in the short term but medium term," said Trevor Jarvis, village administrator in Masset. "What's going to happen in the summer? We've had a couple of good tourism years here in Masset, and I'd hate to see that drop."
There were reports of hurried purchasing of goods in the Queen Charlottes, although Hahn and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell promised renewed shipments as soon as possible.
"In terms of storage, there may not be ferry service, but there will be supply service to be there for people whether it's produce, milk, or whatever ... and we'll work with B.C. Ferries to make sure it happens," Campbell said.
Summer ferry service remains less clear, however. Hahn said the Queen of Prince Rupert, now undergoing a refit, was scheduled to remain in drydock until May 12 but will be rushed back into service by late next week.
"Normal levels would be having two ships in the middle of the summer," said Hahn. "I think we've got some hard work to do in finding alternate means."
The ferry corporation has contracted with an outside firm to provide barge service to the Queen Charlottes and north coast.
Another concern was environmental damage as a 2 1/2-mile-long oil slick spread from the sunken ferry, which was carrying 57,200 gallons of diesel fuel, 5,200 gallons of light lubricating oil and about 57 gallons of hydraulic oil.
Environmental and cleanup experts have arrived at the site, and "we'll get a better sense of the state of the sea bottom, state of the ship, besides doing the pollution issues," Hahn said.
Chief Robert Hill of the Gitk'a'ata Indian tribe, which is based at Hartley Bay, said damage to marine life seemed inevitable, adding, "Our people continue to rely on the marine resources for food and to preserve our culture and way of life."
---
On the Net:
B.C. Ferries: www.bcferries.com/