Ferry contract award upsets US. shipyard Awarding contract to NV co. could add costs of $26.5 m, says US. Shipyard Weekly THE PRESIDENT of a U.S.-based shipyard company that had bid on two ‘‘S’’ class superferries being commissioned by the B.C. Ferry Corp. (BCFC) has hinted that North Vancouver-based Versatile Pacific Shipyards Inc. (VPSI) should not have been awarded the contract to build one of the two vessels just because it was the lone Canadian bid- der. Versatile was awarded the con- tract to build one of the two superferries on Thursday. The provincial cabinet has also re- jected all international bids for the two ferries and will negotiate with VPSI for the construction of a se- cond superferry for delivery in 1994, But John Dane III, president of the Trinity Marine Group, the parent company of Halter Marine Inc. of Gulfport, Mississippi, said his company was prepared to give B.C. companies up to $40 million 44... the Trinity Marine Group was prepared to give B.C. companies up By Surj Rattan News Reporter million Cdn. for the second ferry. The next highest bid was $110.6 million Cdn, from Mitsui Heavy Industries of Japan. “Pf it were a U.S. contract and because we are the fowest bidder we would get the contract,’’ Dane told the News from Louisiana. ‘We've never bid with the B.C. Ferry Corp. before so we don’t know how they work.”' to $40 million in contracts for equipment and material if it was awanied one or both ferry contracts. 99 in contracts for equipment and material if it was awarded one or both ferry contracts. While VPS! bid $119,i139,C00 for the second ferry, it did not bid on the first ferry because it said it could not meet the vessel’s arigi- nal May 1992 delivery date. The delivery date for the first ferry has now been pushed back to February 1993, while the delivery date for the second ferry is now 1994. Halter was the lowest bidder of the five shipyards that submitted bids, bidding $95,216,000 for each of the two vessels. if the company had been awarded the contracts to build both ferries, it would have built the first one for $95,216,000 and the second one for a reduced price of $93,474,000. It would also have charged $664,323 to have either ship delivered to B.C. from its U.S. shipyards. With duties included, Halter’s bid came out to $105.4 million Cdn, for the first ferry and $103.4 According to Shipyard Weekly, which is published in Washington, D.C. by the trade group Ship- builders Council of America, the added cost to Canada and B.C. for awarding the second ferry to VPSI would be $26.5 million Cdn. Of this, the BCFC would pay about $15 million in the form of lost duties while the federal gov- ernment would pay $11.5 million. Dane added that more than 25 B.C. companies, including North Vancouver’s Inlet Metal and Machining Co. Ltd., had submit- ted bids to Halter to provide the shipyard with equipment and ma- terials should Halter win either ferry contract. Dane added that Halter’s “‘large expenditures in B.C.”’ would promote local businesses, ensure employment and add ‘significant revenues’’ to B.C.’s tax base. The Trinity Marine Group, which consists of 10 shipyards, is the largest builder of commercial marine vessels in the Lin'ted States and the world’s largest builder of small to medium-sized ships. North Shore News launches new column THE NORTH Shore News today launches a_ series of columns designed to shed a positive light on matters of environment. Written by Kex Weyler, The Good Earth (see page 4 was commissioned by the News and is exclusive to the newspaper. The series will focus on ad- vances being made in such areas as newsprint recycling and alter- natives to such contreversial prac- tices as clear-cut logging. A. former News photographer and editor, Weyler is also a past director of the Greenpeace Foun- dation and sailed on the first Greenpeace voyage to save the whales. He is the author of Blood of the Land, a iiistory of the Ameri- can Indian movemen:, and Song of the Whale, which chronicles the early history of Greenpeace, and the co-author of Chop Wood, Carry Water, a guide to spiritual fulfilment in everyday life. Weyler is also the founder and director of Hollyhock Farm, an organic farm and educational cen- tre on Cortes Istand. The Good Earth will Fridays in the News. appear A DECK hand on board one of three Japanese naval vessels docked ai Versatile Pacific Ship- yards in North Vancouver is busy at werk painting the vessel, in order to make it shine for the public. The public is invited to tour the tire > vessels today and Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday. September 7. 1990 — North Shore News - 3 NEWS photo Mike Wake Park and ‘Tilford shopping centre site offered for sale THE BROOKFIELD Develop- ment Corp. (formerly BCE De- velopment Corp.) is selling the Park and Tilford Shopping Centre in North Vancouver. The move follows Brookfield’s recent sale of the Caulfeild Village Shopping Centre in West Van- couver for $13 million to Toron- to-based Pensionfund Realty Led. Brookfield spokesman Peter Arbuckle said the company is moving out of the retail real estate market and into the office real estate field. He added that’ Brookfield has received several offers for the Park and Tilford site. “It's quite active,’ said Ar- buckle, hinting a deal in the works could be signed soon. “There's a saying that ‘it’s not over until the fat lady sings.” In our business, it’s not over until the ink is dry and the money is in the bank. He declined to reveal how much Brookfield is asking for the Park and Tilford site. Meanwhile, Pensionfund Realty has no plans to redevelop the Caulfeild Village site at this time. Avtar Bains, vice-president of Colliers Macaulay Nicolls, the company that arranged the sale, said Pensionfund had been negotiating with Brookfield for two months to purchase the West Vancouver shopping mall. Bains said a corporate shake-up at Brookfield prompted the sale. “*There’s been a corporate reorganization at BCE and they decided to sell some assets,’* said Bains. “For the foreseeable future, it (Caulfeild mall) will re- main as is. They (Pensionfund) bought it as a passive investment rather than a redevelopment."’ Pensionfund Realty represents a consortium of pension funds. Caulfeild Village contains ap- proximately 6,000 square metres of retail space, covers 2.1 hectares and includes tenants such as Someplace Special (Safeway). Pharmasave, the Bank of Mon- treal and Realty World Lions Gate. Index @ Automotives ........ 19 W Classified Ads ....... 25 & Ecoinfo............ 10 ® Editorial Page ....... 6 &@ Home & Garden..... 43 @ Mailbox ............ 7 @ Paul St. Pierre... 22... 9 @ What's Going On... .18 Weather Friday, morning fog, becoming sunny. Highs 22-26°C. Saturday and Sunday, sunny. High 21'C. Second Class Registration Number 3865