One N.S.-P.E.I. ferry may return to service sooner than expected: NFL

The MV Confederation, a ferry that runs between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, may be back in service earlier than expected.

Northumberland Ferries Limited (NFL) says repairs on the ferry are expected to be finished by Dec. 3, allowing it to return to service on Dec. 6. The original return date was Dec. 9

The ferry company says if repairs are finished sooner than Dec. 3, the MV Confederation will return to service “as soon as safely possible.”

Once back in service, the ferry will operate a daily four round-trip schedule until the season is over on Dec. 20.

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“NFL went through an internal risk assessment process to determine whether it was possible to safely return to service with one end of the main vehicle deck remaining open,” reads a news release from NFL.

“It was determined that operating the vessel without its bow visor created a safety risk of high consequence because this piece of equipment renders the vehicle decks watertight.”

NFL looked for ways to mitigate the risk, but says the timeline would have corresponded with the bow visor repair.

MV Confederation crash

On Sept. 15, the MV Confederation collided with the wharf (dolphin structure) while it was entering Wood Islands, P.E.I., causing "considerable" damage to the bow visor of the ship.

Originally, NFL said the crash happened after the ferry experienced an issue with the de-clutching of the forward end braking propeller.

The ferry has been under repairs ever since due to damage to the vessel’s bow visor.

Investigation finds mechanical issue was not a factor

In an update on Wednesday, NFL said following an investigation – which is still ongoing – it is now in a position to confirm that mechanical failure was not a contributing factor to the incident.

“Once the investigation is completed, dedicated effort will be put towards addressing the causes so that NFL can ensure that lessons are learned from the event,” reads the news release.

MV Saaremaa out-of-service for rest of season

The second P.E.I. ferry, the MV Saaremaa 1, was pulled out of service in September after issues with two of its four main engines.

Last month, additional mechanical issues were found in one of the main engines, resulting in NFL making the decision that it will be out of service for the rest of the season.

For more Nova Scotia and P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial pages.