Northumberland Ferries working to secure 2nd ferry between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia

The busy summer tourist season is just around the corner, and Northumberland Ferries says it's still working to secure a second vessel to run between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia.

For many years, two ferries had been running between Caribou, N.S., and Wood Islands, P.E.I., during the peak summer months: MV Confederation and MV Holiday Island. But last July, a fire aboard the Holiday Island took it out of commission for good.

Northumberland Ferries and the federal government lined up a temporary replacement ferry from Quebec, which filled the void last summer.

No deal has been lined up for this summer, but the company said it expects to have one in place soon.

"Northumberland Ferries Limited has for the last number of months, been in negotiations to charter a vessel to supplement the capacity provided by the MV Confederation during the 2023 peak summer season," The company said in an email.

"We are confident that an agreement will be finalized very soon."

P.E.I. MP Lawrence MacAulay said he also expect a deal shortly.

In an email to CBC News, MacAulay said a second vessel will be in place this summer, adding he and the federal transport minister are working to find a solution for the next few years.

Business owners want plan 'as soon as possible'

Some people who run businesses in the area have concerns and want to know whether there will be one or two ferries running this summer as soon as possible.

Jason Delio is the owner of Cliffside Inn. He said people like to have their itineraries in place before they travel.

"It definitely affects people's plans. Just a lot of people like to take the same ferries, 7 a.m. ferry, 10 a.m. ferry. And sometimes they're overloaded if there's only one," Delio said.

"I'd love to see a plan in place as soon as possible, just so we can plan our future seasons."

The federal government hopes to have a permanent replacement ferry built and ready to go in 2027.