ST. JOHN’S, Nfld. –Marine Atlantic has suspended its maligned commercial vehicle reservation system. As of Nov. 14, reservations will no longer be required for commercial vehicles, Marine Atlantic announced. It said capacity issues and ferry reliability are to blame.

“The mechanical breakdown of the MV Joseph and Clara Smallwood in October once again highlighted the issues associated with aging vessels and insufficient fleet capacity,” said Marine Atlantic president and CEO, Wayne Follett. “Commercial reservations have significant benefits for our commercial customers and their clients; however, the approaching severe winter weather and the need to make the transition from the current vessels to the new fleet are important considerations. Therefore we have decided to suspend the commercial reservations system until the new fleet capacity comes on stream.”

The Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association (APTA) also withdrew its support from the reservation system at its recent annual meetings, recommending the ferry operator suspend the system until new capacity is in place.

“With the recommendation of the APTA and other industry players, Marine Atlantic will move to a first come, first served approach until the new fleet capacity is available,” said Follett, adding a reworked reservation system will be launched when capacity issues are addressed.