The organization that must certify the new Bluenose II before it is handed over to the Province of Nova Scotia still hasn’t been told about a flood on board the vessel last fall.
The principal surveyor for the American Bureau of Shipping, Michel Labrie, says he should have been notified of the event, or provided a report on it, but so far he hasn’t.
Labrie says he only learned of the incident during a phone interview with CTV News.
Last week, questions were raised over whether the new Bluenose II is as watertight as it should be.
CTV News learned there was a flood on board the vessel late last fall, revealing what may be a costly problem with the watertight bulkheads.
On Nov. 27, the ship started taking on water while docked at the wharf in Lunenburg, unknown to workers on board.
“I wouldn’t call it a flood. I’d call it an incident,” says Lunenburg Foundry president Peter Kinley.
However, according to the company’s near-miss incident report, it was described as a flood.
The province was not told about the event until last week.
“It is the province’s responsibility to find out why they were not informed, immediately upon there being an issue,” says Nova Scotia Liberal MLA Andrew Younger. “Government needs a hands-on approach at this time.”
“What I’m satisfied with is that there is a process to monitor these kinds of things,” says Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter.
When asked how much water got in the boat, a Bluenose II project tradesman said, “in the deepest part, three-and-a-half feet to four feet.”
Kinley disagrees.
“It didn’t get up to the floor boards, it didn’t hurt anything.”
But he later accepted the worker’s account.
“An electrician noticed water coming up through the floor boards and they immediately stopped to find out what the problem was,” says Kinley.
According to a worker who was on board that day, there was water in four compartments, at what appeared to be an even level.
“I think it’s quite significant,” says the worker. “The vessel’s supposed to have watertight bulkheads.”
The bulkheads were tested according to tests approved by Labrie, with low pressure air applied to a seam on one side of the bulkhead and soapy water on the other side.
“There was no procedure for that,” says Kinley “ABS, while they required a watertight test, didn’t have a procedure, so it came down to that localized test.”
“We picked up quite a few leaks with that,” says Labrie.
Labrie says that when ABS certifies the Bluenose II, the bulkheads must be watertight. He says the definition of watertight to him is that no water must go through the bulkheads.
Labrie says another test will be conducted to ensure the bulkheads are watertight.
Kinley says the boat will undergo sea trials next month.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Rick Grant
