As Confederation awaits fix, Holiday Island replacement ferry pushed back to 2028

A new replacement ferry for the scrapyarded MV Holiday Island won't be ready until at least 2028, a year later than originally expected.

The news comes as ferry service between Wood Islands, P.E.I., and Caribou, N.S., remains suspended due to mechanical issues with the remaining ferry, the 30-year-old MV Confederation.

Another ferry, MV Saaremaa 1, is due to arrive on loan from Quebec in mid-July. It was intended to run in conjunction with the Confederation during the peak summer months.

The ferry service is run by Northumberland Ferries Ltd., leasing boats owned by Transport Canada.

On Tuesday, a Transport Canada spokesperson said they are trying to get the 30-year-old Confederation back in service as soon as possible. A replacement for the broken part that shut down power to its propellers on June 17 has to be specially manufactured in Germany, so it could be mid-July before the repair is completed.

MV Saaremaa 1 filling in

The Saaremaa 1 was used last summer after the Holiday Island caught fire during a crossing and was permanently put out of service. The Quebec-based vessel will be used again next year, as well, although Lawrence MacAulay, the MP for the area, is requesting that it arrive sooner than July to avoid another shutdown of the service that has left many nearby businesses struggling.

"I'm fully aware — and of course there's lots of blame to go around — but it certainly indicates quite clearly how important it is to have a two-ferry system at Wood Islands at all times," he said.

The Holiday Island was already scheduled for replacement before the fire. The 2019 federal budget had committed to a custom-built ferry to be ready by 2027.

But in an email to CBC News, Transport Canada said the new replacement ferry, being built by Davie Shipbuilding in Quebec, is still in the design stage and is not expected to be in service until 2028.

"The new ferry will have a diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system with onboard energy storage systems (i.e., batteries) to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollutants, and underwater radiated noise," the email said.

Meanwhile, some local businesses said they have seen a drop in business by up to 30 per cent since the Confederation stopped running.

"Ramping up for this year seemed like it was going to be busier and busier — no COVID, no Fiona, no nothing," said Rose Viaene, owner of Country Taste Kitchen & Bakery in Belfast.

"Now the ferry's shut down. So we feel it already."