'Very frustrating': High winds continue to disrupt P.E.I.-N.S. ferry schedule
Leased vessel MV Saaremaa is not designed to operate in rough weather
The general manager at Northumberland Ferries Ltd. says safety has to come first when it comes to deciding when crossings between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia are cancelled.
Windy weather forced the cancellation of crossings on the weekend and Monday, leaving customers waiting for a second ferry or rerouting their journey a few hours to take the Confederation Bridge to New Brunswick instead.
More than 400 reservations had to be cancelled on Saturday alone, said Jeff Joyce.
"I've been in this industry for a long time and, and a lot of it is very frustrating for customers. I'm well aware of that."
The MV Saaremaa, which is being leased from Quebec's ferry service to operate alongside the MV Confederation, is not designed for the kind of rough weather often seen on the Northumberland Strait. One of its four engines is currently being repaired as well.
Normally, the Confederation and Saaremaa would combine for eight round trips per day.
On Monday, high winds meant the Saaremaa could not make 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. sailings from Caribou, N.S., or the 11:45 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. sailings from Wood Islands, P.E.I. The Confederation remained in operation and was taking on the passengers from the cancelled boats.
The company said in a social media post at 4 p.m. that the 5 p.m. departure from Caribou and the 6:30 p.m. departure from Wood Islands would take place as scheduled.
Joyce said depending on the direction of the wind, it's unsafe to operate the Saaremaa when gusts reach about 25 knots, or 46 kilometres an hour, largely due to the shape of its hull. The Confederation crossings are usually cancelled when winds are in the 30-knot range, or 55 kilometres an hour.
Joyce said they often make the decision based on the forecast and other technology to give passengers ample time to prepare. But ultimately, he said, the decision to sail lies with the captain of the ship.
If the wind is from astern, it affects the ability for the captain to keep the vessel on a steady course.— Jeff Joyce
"If the wind is from astern, it affects the ability for the captain to keep the vessel on a steady course. And if you're going through The Steels, as we call them, going into Wood Islands, it's a very narrow opening.
"It's a safety issue, obviously."
The captain and engineers on the Saaremaa are employees of Société des traversiers du Québec, or STQ, while the deckhands and other crew members work for NFL. Joyce said there was one instance in the summer when the Saaremaa could not make a crossing because an engineer's flight from Montreal was cancelled. But no other cancellations were due to staffing.
Joyce expects a busy weekend coming up as people from Nova Scotia come to P.E.I. for the Sommo Music Festival.
"We're obviously a ways away from the weather predictions and so on for Sommo and what that's going to look like. But certainly we'll be ready to go and — depending again on the weather — we will sail and try to get our customers back and forth."
MV Saaremaa was brought in as a replacement for MV Holiday Island, which caught fire during a run in 2022 and had to be scrapped. Holiday Island was due to be replaced, but that new ferry is not expected before 2028 at the earliest.
In the meantime, Transport Canada has purchased another ferry, the MV Fanafjord, to take the place of Saaremaa. That ship had been due to arrive in Canada some time late this year, but earlier in September, Transport Canada confirmed it would not be delivered in time to make any ferry runs before the service shuts down for the winter.
Local business group concerned
Blair Aitken, president of the Eastern Prince Edward Island Chamber of Commerce, wrote a letter to Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay asking for clarity on the status and cost implications of the Fanafjord.
The chamber counted 50 cancelled sailings between May and Sept. 3, and said the uncertainty is affecting businesses in the area.
"I think there's been a significant undermining of the confidence for the travelling public," he said. "It's hard to plan, at all, using the ferry for business purposes."
Aitken said businesses want assurances from the federal government that the Fanafjord will eventually arrive and stabilize the ferry service going forward.
"We're very concerned, and we think our concern is well-founded."
With files from Kevin Yarr