Ferry service between P.E.I. and N.S. cancelled for Thursday after brief resumption Wednesday
Vessel newly back after repairs won't sail at all on Thursday because of bad weather
Ferry service between eastern P.E.I. and northern Nova Scotia was disrupted again Wednesday, after resuming for just one round trip across the Northumberland Strait.
Northumberland Ferries Ltd. general manager Jeff Joyce said there was a technical issue with the "load sharing" of the engines, causing the 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. crossings from Wood Islands, P.E.I., and the 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. crossings from Caribou, N.S., to be cancelled for Wednesday.
"At this point, we're just trying to address what the issue is and get us back in service," he said. "Obviously, it's very unfortunate and we'll do our very best to get it sorted out and and get back into service."
Joyce said the issue involves the engines being out of sync and unable to provide the necessary power for the propulsion.
An email from the company Wednesday night said the technical problems had been resolved but contained more bad news.
"Due to forecasted weather conditions, all departures from Wood Islands and Caribou have been cancelled for Thursday, Dec. 5," it said. "Weather conditions are being closely monitored for Friday, Dec. 6, with further updates to follow."
A wind warning is in place for Kings County in eastern P.E.I. with southeasterly gusts of 90 km/h predicted for Thursday.
The beleaguered service had resumed only Wednesday morning, more than 10 weeks after both the ferries the company was operating went on the disabled list.
At 10 a.m., the MV Confederation made its first run since Sept. 15, when the vessel hit its dock in Wood Islands, seriously damaging its bow visor, a type of raisable door. The ship has been undergoing repairs in Pictou, N.S., for nearly three months.
Joyce said anybody who had bought a ticket for a cancelled sailing should contact Northumberland Ferries Ltd. for a refund.
"It's really unfortunate for those who showed up to then not be able to get on the ferry," he said. "Anytime anybody misses the sailing because of an operational issue, it's disappointing for sure."
Troubles in the past?
Before the latest technical issue, Joyce had said it was "a relief" to get the ferry back running, and was confident the service's troubles were in the past.
"We've gone through a really good process, built up our procedures [and] made sure we're completely solid, both from a technical and the human side of the equation as well," he said.
But before the ferry could make its next run, the technical issue was discovered and the remaining sailings cancelled.
The MV Confederation had been expected to make four daily round trips until Dec. 20, an increase from the three it normally makes during the month of December.
Joyce said Transport Canada, which owns the vessel, allowed the extra daily crossing in light of the impact the "disappointing" ferry season had on communities in both eastern P.E.I. and northern Nova Scotia.
This repair took until the final step before we had certainty.— Jeff Joyce
The company had hoped the Confederation would be back in service by Monday, Dec. 2, which would have given it three weeks of trips before the planned end of the 2024 season.
"This repair took until the final step before we had certainty, and even after that we knew we had some troubleshooting to do on the trip back and that's why we weren't able to go into service on [Dec. 2]," Joyce said earlier Wednesday.
The second ship on the route this summer, MV Saaremaa, went down for engine repairs on Sept. 22 and never returned to service before it had to be returned to the Quebec provincial ferry service that owns it.
Northumberland Ferries leased that ship for the peak tourism season for the past three years, since MV Holiday Island caught fire during a crossing in July 2022.
The fire heavily damaged the vessel and it had to be scrapped.
'This season is over'
The lack of a reliable ferry service has caused hardship for tourism operators as well as businesses that rely on trucking to and from the Island. Their only option has been to drive west to Borden-Carleton and use the Confederation Bridge to New Brunswick.
I'm going to be using it. I'm just not sure how much, with the limited capacity that's left. It saves me a lot of miles.— Scott Annear
Before the latest disruption, Scott Annear, with the Montague-based Morley Annear Limited trucking company, said his drivers would go back to using MV Confederation for off-Island shipments until the end of the season.
"I'm going to be using it. I'm just not sure how much, with the limited capacity that's left. It saves me a lot of miles," he said.
"There's a social factor to the ferry, too. [Drivers] talk more on the ferry, and of course you don't bump into anybody driving by yourself."
Blair Aitken, president of the Eastern P.E.I. Chamber of Commerce, said businesses in the area are "still reeling" from the service's stop-and-start season. He said the Confederation's return until the end of the season won't help things much.
"This season is over, as far as most operators are concerned. Yes, it'll be operating until the 20th, another 16 days in total. That's not going to make a difference," Aitken said. "To lose… a planned schedule has a domino effect that no business wants to deal with, especially at this time of year."
Politicians representing the area have been pushing Transport Canada to take steps to guarantee two-ship service during the busiest months of the year until a long-planned new ferry is built by Chantier Davie Canada Inc., a Quebec shipyard. The latest estimate for delivery is fall 2029 at the earliest.
The federal department responded by buying MV Fanafjord, a Norwegian vehicle ferry that is undergoing a refit and sea trials in that Scandinavian country before coming to Canada in time for the 2025 ferry season, which begins in May.
In the past, Joyce has said the Fanafjord should leave Europe sometime during the first half of December on a 35-day voyage to the Maritimes.
"Significant work to install new engines and related machinery on the vessel is complete. Equipment commissioning and sea trials are expected to be finalized in in early December," Transport Canada said in a website post dated Wednesday.
"Transport Canada is expected to take ownership of the vessel in December, at which time the vessel will be prepared for the voyage to Canada."
In the meantime, Joyce said the company is focusing on rebuilding trust with residents and business owners in the area — and getting the 2025 sailing season off to a reliable start.
Aitken said people in eastern P.E.I. will be watching to make sure that happens.
"The only way that confidence will return is that the system demonstrates clear reliability," he said.
"People will come back to it as long as that is happening, I'm sure."
With files from Tony Davis and Steve Bruce