MV Saaremaa 1 will return to service between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia this summer

MV Saaremaa 1 will once more join MV Confederation on the waters between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia for the peak tourism weeks this summer.

Northumberland Ferries Ltd. has finalized an agreement with Société des Traversiers du Québec and secured Saaremaa to supplement Northumberland Strait ferry service from the end of June until the middle of October.

"It's not very easy. There's not an abundance of surplus vessels that … work on this route in Canada or around the world, so we're very appreciative of STQ," said Mark Wilson, senior vice-president of Northumberland Ferries.

For many years, the same 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 MV Saaremaa 1 as a temporary replacement ferry to fill the void last summer.

The second vessel traditionally joins the P.E.I.-Nova Scotia route at the end of June and runs until Thanksgiving weekend, Wilson said.

"The demand is not there for two vessels generally, you know, with the beginning of the season and at the end of the season."

An emergency recall provision in the contract will let STQ recall MV Saaremaa 1 from the Northumberland Strait if a mechanical problem crops up with another ship on one of its Quebec routes.

"I would say that the chances of that occurring are very, very low," said Wilson.

The company has secured the Saaremaa for this year only, according to Northumberland Ferries.

The long-term solution is having a new vessel built for the P.E.I.-Nova Scotia route, said Wilson. The federal government had been planning even before the Holiday Island fire to have a permanent replacement ferry built and ready to go in 2027.

MV Saaremaa 1 will be completing a mandatory drydocking and maintenance period in Les Méchins, Que. in June. Once that's done, it will sail to Caribou, N.S. to complete final preparations and let staff be trained before it goes into service.

Like last year, crew members will be from both P.E.I. and Quebec.