Derek Neary
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 10/99) - At 38 years of age, Johnny Berens is undergoing major surgery, of sorts.

The aging ferry is being upgraded to meet Transport Canada's standards for all regulations, according to Les Shaw, director of marine services for the territorial Department of Transportation.

The Johnny Berens had failed its light ship survey and hasn't been operational since last year. The ferry is currently resting atop the hill on the Fort Simpson side of the riverbank. The massive vessel is surrounded by heavy equipment and acetylene tanks as workers from J&K Industrial Marine make the necessary alterations. The wheel house, the area above the deck from where the captain guides the ferry, has been detached completely as the work on the hull is taking place.

The project, which began in late July and is expected to be completed between mid-month to early October, will carry an estimated $500,000 price tag, Shaw said. The ferry will be placed back on the N'dulee run, likely next season, where it had last served. The ferry currently being used at the Wrigley crossing is a spare vessel that will be returned to Dory Point, near Fort Providence, Shaw said.

The new wheel house, which will be pre-fabricated in Hay River, will be constructed of aluminium to lighten it up, Shaw noted.

Another aspect of the project is to add more spaces in the hull for damage stability. Computers are used to analyze the effect on the ship when certain compartments are flooded, he explained.

"So we have to make all the compartments so the vessel will basically stay level," he said.

When the work is done, the ship's stability will have to be proven in a rather complex process involving calculations such as "ton per centimetre immersion," said Shaw.

"It's very technical," he acknowledged.