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Ferry crossings between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia expected to resume Saturday

As a long weekend begins, Northumberland Ferries has cancelled all of its crossings between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia for the remainder of the day Friday.

Company says service will resume with Saturday's 7 a.m. sailing from Wood Islands

Stephen Brun · CBC News ·
MV Confederation car ferry sits in dock in Wood Islands, P.E.I.
Ferry service between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia was cancelled for weeks at the start of the 2023 tourism season because of mechanical issues with the Confederation. (Sheehan Desjardins/CBC)

With a long weekend set to begin, Northumberland Ferries cancelled all of its crossings between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia for much of the day Friday. 

A post on the company's website said technical issues with the MV Confederation had led to the cancellations. 

Mark Wilson, the acting CEO of Northumberland Ferries Ltd., said crews noticed an issue with a lubrication pump in the vessel's port-side main engine on Thursday night.

The company had thought the issue had been resolved by Friday morning, but Wilson said it persisted during the first sailing of the day.  

"It's very regrettable. [We] understand how important this service is… in terms of a vital transportation link, but we're going to knock off the sailings for the rest of today," Wilson said. 

"We don't want to frustrate our customers any more than we have, just for travel certainty." 

A large blue and white ferry is seen off the shore at Wood Islands, N.S.
The blue-and-white MV Saaremaa 1, on lease from Quebec's ferry service, will join the N.S.-P.E.I. run in mid-June. (Submitted by Mary Clark-Touesnard)

The cancellations affected the 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. departures from Wood Islands, P.E.I., and the 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. departures from Caribou, N.S.

There are typically eight sailings a day at this time of year, with four crossings departing each province.

An email from Northumberland Ferries late Friday afternoon said sailings would resume with Saturday's 7 a.m. crossing from Wood Islands.

Saaremaa not yet available

The MV Confederation is currently the only Northumberland Ferries vessel servicing the run, after the MV Holiday Island caught fire during a crossing in July 2022, forcing passengers to evacuate. It was later scrapped.

A Quebec ferry, MV Saaremaa I, was brought in for part of the 2022 tourism season as well as the 2023 season.

A large ferry with its nose cone opening to let vehicles drive off is shown approaching a dock.
MV Fanafjord, launched in 2007, in a photo from the Public Services and Procurement Canada Facebook page. (Submitted by Transport Canada)

While it won't help for Friday's crossings, Wilson said the Saaremaa will be available for Northumberland Strait crossings again this year, starting on June 16. 

Late last year, the federal government agreed to spend $38.6 million to buy a Norwegian car and passenger ferry to temporarily replace the Holiday Island.

Transport Canada has not confirmed a start date for MV Fanafjord, which is currently on its way across the North Atlantic.

The federal government is having a new ferry designed and built for the N.S.-P.E.I. service, but that permanent replacement for the Holiday Island is still years away.

Corrections

  • An old photo caption with now-incorrect information appeared in an earlier version of this story, suggesting the Saaremaa was already in use for 2024. The caption has been corrected.
    May 17, 2024 4:08 PM AT

With files from Nicola MacLeod

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