MV Saaremaa 1 departed Trois-Rivières, Que, on Wednesday and will undergo a trial in Caribou, NS, Northumberland Ferries Ltd said in a press release. The evaluation is expected to take up to 10 days. If “everything fits”, it should arrive in the Wood Islands shortly after, said PEI MP Lawrence MacAulay. “We’re hoping to have that boat through the strait by mid-August, that’s the hope,” he told CBC News: Compass. “It looks like that will hopefully fill the bill.” The MV Holiday Island has been out of service since July 22, when a fire in the engine room caused extensive damage and forced the evacuation of about 200 passengers. It is expected to be anchored for the rest of the season. The MV Holiday Island has been out of service since July 22 after a fire broke out in the engine room. (Shane Hennessey/CBC) The other ship operating between PEI and Nova Scotia, the MV Confederation, has made extra trips to make up for the loss. MV Saaremaa 1, owned by the Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ), arrives when the tourist season is in full swing in the Maritimes. It will be withdrawn in the event of a mechanical breakdown occurring on one of STQ’s other ferry routes, the statement said.
Capacity 600 passengers
MV Saaremaa 1 was built in Norway in 2010. It is just under 100 meters long and can reach a cruising speed of around 16 knots. It has a capacity of 110 vehicles and 600 passengers, including 300 seats. It includes a cafe and a furnished outdoor deck. The MV Holiday Island, by comparison, can accommodate 155 vehicles and 399 passengers and reach a cruising speed of 12 knots. “We are extremely grateful to STQ and the Province of Quebec for their response and willingness to help, as well as the hard work of all their staff to allow this assessment to take place,” Northumberland Ferries CEO said in the release , Mark MacDonald.
Potential PEI-NS replacement ferry arriving soon, MacAulay says
“It’s happened quicker than I thought it would, but it looks like it will, hopefully, fill the bill,” says Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay. Editor’s note: Northumberland Ferries Ltd. issued a press release after this interview aired.
