North Island Princess Undergoes Modifications

The MV Nimpkish will be brought on to the Texada – Westview route today as the temporary replacement vessel while BC Ferries’ North Island Princess undergoes modifications to its propulsion control system. The North Island Princess, which has recently been fitted with new engines and a new propulsion control system, suffered an engine stall and a hard docking at Westview terminal on Sunday, Nov. 2. Detroit Diesel Allison, the manufacturer and installer of the new engines inspected the vessel with BC Ferries’ engineers following the incident. It has been confirmed that there is a potential for the engines to stall when shifting astern (reverse). To correct the cause of the malfunction, parts are being flown in from Detroit by Detroit Diesel Allison, and are expected to be installed this Wednesday. The vessel will return to regular service once the system is tested and back to normal operation. The North Island Princess initially returned to service from refit on Nov. 1, following the installation of the new propulsion system.