Ferry service between PEI and Nova Scotia will be canceled for another day as Northumberland Ferries continues to deal with the aftermath of the MV Holiday Island fire.
The company notified customers via text message Sunday around noon that service will not resume Monday. It now aims to restart trips between Caribou, NS and Wood Islands, PEI with MV Confederation starting Tuesday morning.
Northumberland Ferries says the cancellation is due to “ongoing recovery and customer care efforts” related to the MV Holiday Island, which had to be evacuated two days ago due to a fire.
Tugboats successfully towed the vessel to a berth at Wood Islands Harbor on Sunday morning after the company’s plan to do so was approved by the Canadian Coast Guard on Saturday night.
The company said in a statement that the fire, which started in the ship’s engine room, appears to have been extinguished since Saturday afternoon. But now there will be a process to verify if it is completely off the ship.
Two tugboats towed the vessel, with a third acting as backup. (CBC/Tony Davis)
On Saturday, the company said it believed the fire was contained to the ship’s engine room and funnels.
Northumberland Ferries said it will also check the ship’s stability and structural integrity, remove water and also put environmental protection measures in place.
“We understand the importance of returning vehicles to our customers and this is a priority,” Vice President Don Cormier said in the statement. “But we ask customers not to return to the terminal until they are told to.
“We will continue to communicate separately and directly with our customers about all of the above.”
More than 200 passengers and crew were evacuated from the ship on Friday as it headed for the Wood Islands, with no major injuries reported.
There are eighty-three vehicles left in the ship. Northumberland Ferries said on Saturday that all the pets were rescued and that there were no livestock or dangerous cargo on board.
Two tugs secured the vessel to dock with a third for support. The plan started at 6 am and ended at 8:30 am.
Northumberland Ferries said it would give a further update on the resumption of the service on Monday.