MV Confederation to sail solo till mid-May

Rachel Collier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Graphic

Refit work on the 17-year-old MV Fanafjord, slated to replace the decommissioned Holiday Island ferry running between Wood Islands, PEI and Caribou, NS is well underway, according to Transport Canada.

However, the department is no longer confident the vessel will be ready by May 1st as promised by Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay and other federal reps in August 2023.

To increase two-vessel availability for the ferry service in 2024, Northumberland Ferries Limited (NFL) has contracted MV Saaremaa 1, owned by Société des Traversiers du Québec (STQ) to be available mid-May through mid-October.

“We are very grateful to STQ and the Province of Québec for their willingness and assistance to charter this vessel to our company to meet peak season two-vessel service, as well as provide early shoulder season redundancy, and the flexibility to support the smooth entry of MV Fanafjord into service later in the season,” Mark Wilson, acting chief executive officer of NFL said in a press release.

Mr Wilson could not be reached for further comment last week.

PEI to NS ferry services are scheduled to begin May 1, and close December 20. The service will rely on the 31-year-old MV Confederation to carry services solo without a back-up for at least the first half of May.

MV Confederation experienced multiple mechanical issues last season causing a disruption in services for approximately 20 of the Island’s peak 100 tourism days.

“MV Confederation will be ready to go in all respects for the 2024 season,” said NFL’s media rep in an email.

Transport Canada now expects the Fanafjord to be available by the end of June. The vessel is currently in drydock at the Fiskerstrand shipyard in Sula, Norway. Its liquefied natural gas engines as well as related equipment have been removed and work to install new engines is underway. Once the ship’s propulsion systems are installed inspections of the underwater components of the vessel and paint will be also be needed.

Sea trials following the refit will also be required according to documents obtained by The Graphic through an access to information and protection of privacy request.

A 2022 report about the MV Fanafjord, written by Allswater, a Nova Scotia marine engineering firm concluded, when tides reach their lowest astronomical points, the bottom of the Wood Islands terminal area would be too shallow for the MV Fanafjord to operate safely. Even without a single vehicle aboard, the vessel would have to shed over 700 metric tonnes of weight to safely clear the bottom.

The calculation was based on the Fanafjord’s propulsion system being refitted from its original LNG gas engine to a diesel engine. Transport Canada has since clarified that the ship will be refitted with a hybrid diesel-electric engine before the $38.6 million transaction is complete.

The study did not calculate Fanafjord’s operating capacity or restrictions through periods of average or high tides at the Wood Islands terminal.

Transport Canada has been assessing the feasibility of schedule changes or reduced load during low tides to allow the vessel to enter service without additional dredging, according to an email, but the department won’t be able to confirm its plans until the final draft (depth of the vessel’s hull underwater) is known.

An NFL media representative said the company expects mitigations can be put in place around ultra low tides (which are predictable occurrences) until further dredging occurs to allow both MV Confederation and MV Fanafjord to effectively service the route.

The representative said the company could not comment on any expected frequency or severity of the terminal’s impacts on Fanafjord operations until its new draft is confirmed following the refit.

Transport Canada added, regular maintenance dredging of the Northumberland Strait channel is a requirement for any vessel in the ferry service because it infills over time. The area is dredged regularly every five to 10 years, most recently in 2022.

The PEI Fishermen’s Association has requested any dredged bottom be deposited on land in the future versus other areas of sea bottom that could impact lobster.

Executive director, Ian MacPherson said the association has not heard back from Northumberland Ferries Ltd or government agencies regarding their request and will seek updates in the near future.

Transport Canada is engaging in environmental sampling and coastal modeling to assess disposal options.

NFL would not comment on how much funding was requested from the federal government related to contracting the MV Saaremaa 1 for the 2024 season.

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