High winds cancel some P.E.I. ferry crossings again

Northumberland Ferries shut down the operations of one of its two ferries Tuesday afternoon, citing high winds on its run between Nova Scotia and P.E.I.

That's the same problem that idled MV Saaremaa on the weekend, though it was also out of service for fixes to one of its four main engines.

The company has said in the past that the Saaremaa, a temporary replacement ferry leased from Quebec's provincial ferry service, is less suited to the sometimes-rough conditions on the Northumberland Strait than the MV Confederation, the main boat on the run. MV Confederation will remain on schedule Tuesday.

Winds in the Northumberland Strait are forecast to blow about 40 km/h Tuesday afternoon.

The Saaremaa was brought into service on the strait to replace the MV Holiday Island, which caught fire during a run in 2022. The ferry was beyond repair, and had to be scrapped.

The permanent replacement for the Holiday Island is not expected to be ready before 2028.

Back in March, the federal government said another replacement vessel had been bought and would be able to join the Northumberland Ferries service at some point in 2024. But a website that lists marine traffic around the world shows MV Fanafjord is still in a Norway port. 

Transport Canada bought the ferry last year for $38.6 million, intending to have it converted from natural gas to diesel before it was brought to Canada.