MV Saaremaa out of commission for season, officials say

One of the beleaguered vessels servingNorthumberlandFerries Ltd.'s route between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia will not be returning to service this season.

Company general manager Jeff Joyce said in a news release Monday thatmore mechanical issues have been discovered with one of the main engines of MVSaaremaa, which is being leased from Quebec's ferry service for a third season.

"The vessel is continuing to progress main engine repairs, and once the engine repairs are complete, MVSaaremaa1 will be prepped for its return voyage to Quebec, likely at the end of October," Joyce said.

Earlier this month,officials said it would be at least Oct. 19before theSaaremaacould resume operating on the seasonal ferry service across theNorthumberlandStrait.

In an interview withCBCNews on Monday, Joyce said the ferry operator learned Friday theSaaremaawould be out of commission.

"Saaremaa had one more main engine to take apart and they did those inspections Friday morningand found the cylinders out of tolerance, so it required some additional work," he said.

Monday's announcement comes less than a month after ferry service between Wood Islands, P.E.I., and Caribou, N.S.,ground to a haltwhen a temporary repair on theSaaremaafailed and it was pulled from operation.

That left the routeunservicedwith its second ferry MV Confederation undergoing repairs at aPictoushipyard following a collision with the Wood Islands wharf earlier in September.

The collision, whichleft the Confederation with a hole in its bow, was caused by a technical problem that affected the vessel's ability to brake and left the bow door or visor of the roll-on, roll-off ferry inoperable.

TheSaaremaahas been plagued by engine problems since this summer.NorthumberlandFerries has beenleasing that vesselfrom Quebec as a replacement for MV Holiday Island, whichcaught fire during a crossing in 2022 and had to be scrapped.

The Confederation could go back in service earlier than the previously set date ofDec. 9 ifauthorities determine thevessel can be safely operated without its bow visor and how risks could be mitigated to ensure passenger safety.

"We do believe that schedule could be compressed somewhat, but we'll know more by the end of this month for sure," Joyce toldCBCNews.

Repair work onthe ferry'sdamaged bow visor has gone well so far, the release said, andNorthumberlandFerries has carried out an internal risk assessment to identify possible hazards of operating without it.