It was reported today, November 13, that ferry service to Prince Edward Island may resume December 6. The service was suspended after the ferry Confederation alided with the dock at Wood Island PE September 15 and damaged its bow visor and a portion of the hull. The second ferry, Saaremaa I was also removed from service in September with engine malfunctions.
Saarema I, on "loan" (in the form of a bare boat charter) from the Société des Traversiers du Quebec (STQ) until the end of October, instead sailed (on three of its four engines) from Wood Islands on October 27. It is now laid up in Trois-Rivières. A spare ferry in the STQ fleet, it was brought in as a replacement for the Holiday Island which was declared a total loss (and since scrapped) after a fire in 2022. A longer term replacement, the Norwegian Fanafjord, renamed Northumberland is presently undergoing sea trials in Norway and is expected to be in service for the 2025 season. It is supposed to serve until 2028 when a permanent replacement arrives. (I am not betting on that date.)
Confederation is under repair at the CME Pictou Shipyard, with the bow visor removed and placed under cover. A suggestion that the ship could operate without the visor was not followed up due to the time needed to make a technical application to regulators. (Car deck flooding is a sensitive issue after several notorious sinkings with large loss of life. Authorities and classification Societies are understandably very wary of any possibility of a repeat.)
Operators Northumberland Ferries Ltd (NFL) have announced that the repairs to the bow visor and the ship's apron, should be completed in time to resume service on December 6. They have also stated that the alision with the wharf was not caused by any mechanical malfunction, contrary to media reports at the time.
(The Caribou, NS to Wood Island, PE service is seasonal and usually closes down during ice season, from January to late May.)
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