Thursday, December 22, 2011

What Is The Real Reason....

...The Damaged Ferry Door Has To Be Manufactured In Germany?

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Post-Carmichael and DaveWeigh-In Update: Turns out its insurance and classification and stuff that is forcing the German build...Like being forced to pay through the nose to keep the warranty on your car valid, I reckon...Details at Chris Montgomery's place
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Chris Montgomery and reader Alastair Haythornwaite really want to know.

Why?

Because it would appear that we actually do have the technology and the skilled people in place who could do it here.

The following is from an exchange between blogger and reader over at Chris' place:

“The door could be reversed engineered by a local fabrication such as United Engineering / Point Hope Shipyard. It is standard in the jobbing shop business for pieces to be brought in worn out or broken and ask to have another made.

This leads me to believe there is a contractual obligation to go back to the manufacturer.”


“Thanks, Alastair. I was told pretty much the same, that the frustration is that repairs that could normally be done here are being sent off to Germany for contractual, patent-type reasons, which would have been things the company signed on to (at the time the order was being arranged)..."


So.

Is there really a David Hahn-induced contractual agreement in place that says we have to give even more of our money to the people that built our ferries so that our own people couldn't?

Build them in the first place, I mean.


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Make sure you head on over to Ms. Montgomery's place to get the entire conversation - and to read her shout out to proMedia reporters regarding the REAL questions they could (should?) be asking the BC Ferries Spokesthingies.

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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

The reason for the door being built in Germany is to deflect attention away from all the other troubles with BC Ferries.

It seems to be working.

Carmichael said...

It hit me today why whoever was driving that boat rammed the dock so hard.

He saw Hahn standing there.

Dave said...

Ha! I was thinking the same as Carmichael. (But then, we know each other, so it makes sense).

The REAL reason those doors have to be built in Germany is because the insurance company and the classification society which oversees the safety of the vessel have demanded as much. I posted a comment over at Christina's which provides the details.

Chris said...

Buenos días, Mr. K.
I've updated my post with the comments from the two clever gentlemen who pointed out, politely, that I was considerably off track in my thinking... so maybe you can update too.
No sense worrying where there's nothing to worry about, although I still want to know if there's some other way to order a ferry, to get one with parts you can repair here. Maybe the answer (as I think Dave is saying) is no... I'll keep asking around with ferry folks elsewhere in the world, where these kind of orders are placed all the time.

RossK said...

Ahhhh....

I see.

Kinda like having to pay through the nose to keep your warranty intact on your car.

Doesn't change the fact that this was all forseeable BEFORE the deal was done.

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chris said...

And it doesn't answer my final question, which is: was it possible to build the ferries in Germany AND put in comparable but less complex doors (and I guess other bits and pieces) that could be fixed here, without sacrificing something important, like safety or regulatory compliance? Maybe one of your clever readers will be able to answer that before one of my clever (but less musical) readers do.

RossK said...

I don't know about clever...But there will be music on the 3:00pm (i.e. just post shift-change) Christmas Day Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay run...

And if it is a German boat....Well, as on Sprockts...We just may have to dance.

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Dave said...

There is another way to buy ships. Watch my blog. I think it's time to let loose.

RossK said...

Alright Dave --

Looking forward to it.

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