Broken lift stalls MV Gallipoli repairs in Clarenville

A stalled lift has led to a shutdown at Burry's Shipyard, the site handling repairs for the troubled MV Gallipoli passenger ferry in Clarenville.

An official at the Department of Transportation and Works told CBC News the conductor was in the process of undocking the MV Gallipoli back into the water last week when the lift suddenly stopped working.

They said the lift is currently being inspected and officials are working on a plan to repair it.

Meanwhile, the MV Gallipoli remains on dry dock.

OHS issues stop work order

​Officials from Service NL confirmed Sunday that Occupational Health and Safety has issued a stop-work order at the site.

An assessment needs to be conducted, and written safe work procedures developed before work on the boat continues.

The 47-metre Gallipoli was built in 1986 and is currently assigned to the Ramea-Grey River-Burgeo ferry service on Newfoundland and Labrador's south coast.

It went out of of service Sept. 5 to begin a 90-day scheduled refit at Burry's, where more problems were found and further repairs were deemed necessary.

In December, the Department of Transportation and Works said they now expected the ship to return to service in April.

It's unclear how this recent setback will affect that timeline.