P.E.I. ferry crossings suspended until at least mid-October: NFL

The MV Confederation ferry pictured in Wood Islands, P.E.I., on June 20, 2023. (CTV Atlantic/Jack Morse)

Northumberland Ferries Limited (NFL) says ferry service between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island won’t resume for at least another two weeks as both vessels continue to undergo repairs.

MV Saaremaa

In a social-media post on Sept. 24, NFL said MV Saaremaa was temporarily out of service due to issues with two of its four main engines. All sailings for that ferry were originally cancelled up to and including Sept. 26. Two days later, that date was extended until Oct. 2.

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MV Saaremaa has four main engines, including two six-cylinder variants and two eight-cylinder variants.

NFL says Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ), along with some external contractors, are investigating the four main engines and have found additional issues.

"These issues would impact the ongoing reliability and performance of the vessel and must be rectified prior to the vessel being deemed fit for operations by the regulatory authorities," said NFL in a news release Tuesday.

NFL says these repairs are expected to take until Oct. 19, provided further inspections and certifications are in order.

MV Confederation

Meanwhile, NFL says repairs to MV Confederation are expected to take 10 weeks, meaning the ferry won’t be operating until at least Dec. 9.

"The timeline for that direct repair work and the related requirements have been updated with a reasonable degree of confidence, which included a detailed examination and measurement of the bow visor both pre and post-removal from the vessel," said NFL in the news release.

The company says the 10-week timeline includes repairs, replacement, testing and the certifying process, with two shifts of welders and repair teams working 24/7 at the CME shipyard In Pictou, N.S.

On Sept. 15, NFL said MV Confederation experienced what it believed was an issue with the de-clutching of the forward end braking propeller while it was entering Wood Islands, P.E.I.

The mechanical issue led the ferry to collide with the wharf (dolphin structure) while it was docking, causing "considerable" damage to the bow visor of the ship.

No replacement ferries available

The company says it has reached out to other ferry operators to see if there are any other vessels that could be used temporarily while MV Confederation and MV Saaremaa undergo repairs. However, it says there are currently no other vessels available to offer the service.

"Due to the high importance of service recovery, NFL is fast-tracking the possibility of temporarily and safely returning MV Confederation to service without one bow visor," reads the news release.

"We believe we will be in a position to determine the feasibility of this by the end of the week but there is considerable work to do in terms of both our internal and external approvals.

The repairs to MV Confederation are under NFL control and supervision, while the repairs to MV Saaremaa are under the control of STQ as part of the charter agreement of the vessel to NFL.

All ferry crossings between Wood Islands, P.E.I., and Caribou, N.S., are suspended until Oct. 19, when MV Saaremaa is expected to return to service.

"We apologize for the disruption this outage is causing. We will continue to do all we can to fast-track the repairs to be back in service as soon as possible," said NFL.

For more Prince Edward Island news, visit our dedicated provincial page.