The following is being distributed at the request of Marine Atlantic:

Labrador Coastal Service Reopening Soon

Lingering Arctic ice will mean a slight delay in the opening of the Labrador coastal service, but Marine Atlantic is optimistic that conditions will improve sufficiently to allow ships to sail within the next 10 days.

Marine Atlantic will begin accepting freight for southern Labrador, ports to Rigolet at the company's Lewisporte terminal on Friday, June 6. Temperature controlled freight will be accepted on June 9.

Freight acceptance at Marine Atlantic's Lewisporte and Goose Bay terminals for the Sir Robert Bond service will begin on June 11.

Sailings of freight vessels from Lewisporte are expected to commence shortly thereafter, and the first Lewisporte departure of the passenger ferry Sir Robert Bond is now set for 4 p.m. June 13. The Bond's first sailing from Goose Bay would be on June 15 at 5:30 p.m.

The Northern Ranger passenger/freighter service will commence from St. Anthony calling all ports to Nain beginning on July 1, ice permitting.

The date for northern Labrador freight acceptance will be announced in the near future.

"Although we are not starting on schedule, we hope ice conditions will not delay service to a great degree," say John Baker, coastal services general manager.

Contact: Jill Curran, Public Relations, (709) 772-5731.