MV Confederation will remain off its run this weekend, says Northumberland Ferries

The only ferry able and available to take vehicles and people between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia will not be back in action until at least Monday, July 10, operator Northumberland Ferries Ltd. said in a statement Thursday.

"MV Confederation's mechanical issue is expected to be resolved over the weekend. The required parts are due to arrive on Saturday, and an expedited repair, followed by extensive testing, will see the vessel back in service early next week," the statement quoted senior vice-president Mark Wilson as saying.

"Service remains suspended through Saturday and Sunday."

News of the continued lack of ferry service comes as thousands of country music fans are expected to come to the Island for the Cavendish Beach Music Festival this weekend. 

"We deeply regret this ongoing inconvenience during this peak tourism season in Atlantic Canada," Wilson's statement said. "We are making every effort to safely resume service as soon as possible."

The failure of a mechanical flexible coupling in the vessel's propulsion drivetrain caused the ferry's initial breakdown the weekend of June 17.

A replacement for the broken part had to be manufactured in Germany and shipped to Canada to repair the boat, since it was not stocked anywhere in the world.

Shortly after the ferry went back into service on July 1, another breakdown was announced, which also required parts to be ordered from off-Island.  

Not only tourists but Island residents, truckers and other business travellers have been left with only two options — take the Confederation Bridge linking Borden-Carleton, P.E.I., to New Brunswick, or fly. 

Sharp blow to businesses

Businesses in southeastern P.E.I. have seen their client flow sharply reduced because no traffic is coming onto the Island through Wood Islands.

A Shop Belfast campaign is rolling out to try to convince Islanders to patronize local businesses, and the Eastern P.E.I. Chamber of Commerce has announced a meeting for Tuesday, July 18, to talk about ways of stabilizing ferry service. 

"Recent unscheduled operational stoppages of the ferry service for extended periods have played havoc with the routine business operations of our major eastern P.E.I. industry sectors and the travelling public," the chamber said in a news release.

Federal government owns vessels

The ferry malfunction cast light on the precariousness of having just one working vessel dedicated to the service, after MV Holiday Island was sent to a scrapyard following a fire on board in July 2022. 

Operator Northumberland Ferries was able to locate and lease a suitable car ferry from the Quebec ferry agency later in 2022, but company officials knew it could be pulled back at any time if needed to replace a vessel on a St. Lawrence River route.   

That replacement vessel, MV Saaremaa I, is due to return to the P.E.I.-Nova Scotia route in mid-July after a stint in dry dock, Wilson confirmed Thursday.

"NFL crew departed yesterday to join the vessel in Quebec for the transit. MV Saaremaa 1 is expected to arrive late on Sunday, July 9, and the remaining crew will be trained and final preparations will be completed as quickly as possible in order to safely enter service." 

The federal government is the legal owner of the boats operated by Northumberland Ferries. 

It has budgeted for a replacement ferry for MV Holiday Island, but that ship is still in the design stage and won't be ready until 2028 at the earliest.