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MV Holiday Island to be scrapped due to major fire damage

It turns out the Holiday Island's final crossing was the one that ended in a dramatic fire and evacuation on July 22, 2022.

Transport Canada has issued RFP for disposal following July fire

Isabelle Gallant · CBC News ·
Fire fighters approach the MV Holiday Island ferry after a fire broke out on it.
The fire on board the MV Holiday Island in July forced the evacuation of 200 people and disrupted ferry service for five days. (John Morris/Reuters)

The MV Holiday Island will no longer ply the waters of the Northumberland Strait.

It turns out the ferry's final crossing was the one that ended in a dramatic fire and evacuation on July 22, 2022.

The vessel, which has been tied up at the Wood Islands docks since it was towed there following the fire, is beyond repair and will be scrapped.  

Transport Canada has now issued a request for proposals to dispose of the ferry. 

"It was an unfortunate incident, but now that we know that the vessel will not be going back into service, it'll be good to remove the vessel from Wood Islands and then allow it to proceed for disposal," said Mark Wilson, senior vice-president at Northumberland Ferries. 

The fire in the engine room of the Holiday Island forced the vessel to evacuate. Two-hundred people were aboard and no injuries were reported. The cause is still under investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

P.E.I. ferry Saaremaa at the dock in Caribou.
The MV Saaremaa, on loan from Quebec, replaced the Holiday Island on the P.E.I.-N.S. route this summer. (Kevin Yarr/CBC)

In August, a replacement ferry, the MV Saaremaa, began making crossings between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia. 

Wilson said Northumberland Ferries is working to secure another replacement vessel for next summer. 

"What that ship will be next year, we're not sure yet, but it's all hands on deck and we're working with Transport Canada to make sure that we do our best to secure something so that we have two-ship operations again next summer," he said. 

Working toward long-term solution

Wilson called that a short-term solution. 

"We're working on, you know, a medium-term solution until eventually there is an asset built to replace the Holiday Island, which is what I would call the longer-term solution."

The Holiday Island, which was launched in 1970, was due for a replacement in 2027. 

Wilson said Northumberland Ferries understands how important it is to have two ships on the route. 

"We're doing everything that we can … to make sure that we deliver the service and in a manner that meets the expectations of the Islanders and people who are customers," said Wilson.

With files from Jessica Doria-Brown

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