Northumberland Ferries Limited faces audit after troubled season, says transport minister

Canada's transport minister will order an audit of the company that operates the ferry service between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia, CBC News has learned. 

Anita Anand said the frequent interruptions to Northumberland Ferries Limited's service during the 2024 sailing season were "unacceptable," according to information provided in a statement from a senior federal government official. 

"With the past season marked by numerous interruptions and delays, it's important to ensure that Northumberland Ferries has strong protocols in place to prevent future issues and guarantee safe operations," the statement reads.

"This audit is about putting Islanders first — making sure the ferries are operating safely, reliably, and delivering the service people in Atlantic Canada deserve."

The timeline for conducting the audit was not immediately clear, but the source said Anand would like the review to begin as soon as possible. Transport Canada has issued a tender for a contractor to conduct the audit. 

CBC News has reached out to Northumberland Ferries for comment, but has not received a response.

The ferry service across the Northumberland Strait has been inconsistent since the MV Holiday Island was scrapped after a fire onboard in 2022.

Transport Canada had been using the remaining ship, the MV Confederation. It leased another ferry, the MV Saaremaa, from Quebec, while it found a replacement for the Holiday Island. 

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Anita Anand recently took over the federal transportation portfolio, and she does so at a tumultuous time for the seasonal ferry service that connects P.E.I. and Nova Scotia. CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin spoke to Anand during her visit to the Island to find out what Transport Canada is doing to ensure the future reliability of the Northumberland Strait crossings.

But a series of issues with the Confederation, including a collision with the wharf that left it out of service for weeks, continued to disrupt the service throughout the 2024 sailing season.

Saaremaa's crossings were also frequently cancelled because the ferry wasn't built to withstand the often high winds on the Northumberland Strait. 

MV Northumberland arrives

News of the audit comes on the same day MV Northumberland, formerly MV Fanafjord, made its much-anticipated arrival in Pictou, N.S. It will become the second permanent ferry for the service when the sailing season begins later this year.

The ship was acquired by Transport Canada on Dec. 12. The federal government paid about $40 million for the vessel.

Transport Canada has said a replacement for Holiday Island was contracted to the Davie shipyard in Quebec in 2019. That ship is still in the design phase, despite documents that show the Holiday Island II was initially expected to arrive in P.E.I. five years after the contract was awarded.

The ferry service between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia will resume for the season in May. Northumberland Ferries generally uses one ferry in the shoulder seasons and two during peak months.