Ferry service between P.E.I. and N.S. will be more reliable this season, CEO promises

Gwyneth Egan · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 17, 2025 6:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Officials with Northumberland Ferries Ltd. accidental they're assured this year's ferry play volition beryllium amended and much reliable than past year's. 

The seasonal ferry work that runs betwixt P.E.I. and Nova Scotia is scheduled to statesman May 1 and volition see MV Northumberland, a vas Transport Canada bought from Norwegian owners that is being added to the service. It was formerly called MV Fanafjord. 

"I deliberation the wide nationalist is going to beryllium precise impressed with that vessel," said Mark Wilson, the president and CEO of Northumberland Ferries.

"There is much redundancy connected that vas successful lawsuit thing does hap with an motor oregon with a thruster. There is the quality to proceed to sail safely and reliability."

The Northumberland Strait ferry work has been struggling since the Holiday Island was scrapped aft a occurrence successful the summertime of 2022, leaving lone MV Confederation connected the run. That vessel and MV Saareema, leased from the Quebec ferry work for 2 seasons, past faced their ain stock of problems. 

The Confederation ran into the wharf at Wood Islands past year, leaving it retired of work for 4 weeks. 

Having 2 boats successful work this twelvemonth should guarantee a much reliable service, Wilson said, noting that some vessels person gone done pre-season maintenance. 

'It's perfectly vital': concern leaders

For concern leaders successful eastbound P.E.I., improvements to the ferry service's reliability are critical. 

"We cognize the travelling nationalist is struggling with the conception of readying connected utilizing the ferry, particularly from the commercialized side," said Blair Aitken, the president of the Eastern P.E.I. Chamber of Commerce. 

Businesses that person mislaid assurance successful the ferry work person opted alternatively to usage the Confederation Bridge that links occidental P.E.I. to New Brunswick, Aitken said.

"We're hopeful that Northumberland Ferries has plans of immoderate benignant to bring backmost nationalist assurance successful their system," helium said, noting that a reliable, dependable work would bash that implicit time. 

Aitken said he's hoping to spot a play that begins and runs without attraction issues, and operates connected docket with a preservation strategy that serves the public's leisure and commercialized needs. 

"It's perfectly vital. I mean, it's captious to the eastbound region, it's highly important to the Island successful general," helium said. "The ferry strategy is highly important to the radical of the region, to the businesses of the portion connected some sides of the strait."

Any issues with the work this twelvemonth volition beryllium magnified successful the eyes of the public, Aitken warned. 

Season starts May 1

As the ferry play inches closer, 1 outstanding contented remains: the caller vessel is simply a choky acceptable into the dock astatine Wood Islands, NFL's Wilson said. 

"It fits good into Caribou. It fits OK into Wood Islands," helium said. "We request to bash immoderate much modifications connected the rubber blocks, but it's not a large deal." 

Transport Canada told CBC News it's moving with the ferry relation to guarantee the vessels are acceptable for the commencement of the season. 

MV Confederation volition statesman work for the play connected May 1, and MV Northumberland volition statesman work successful mid-June. 

During highest season, the work volition connection 8 circular trips a day. 

To invited it to eastbound P.E.I., the Northumberland volition beryllium unfastened to the wide nationalist connected April 26 and 27 arsenic portion of Doors Open Down East event. 

The vessel volition depart the Wood Islands dock astatine 3:30 p.m. connected April 27 to marque its mode backmost crossed the Northumberland Strait to Nova Scotia, wherever it has been docked astatine Pictou.