Return of N.S.-P.E.I. ferry delayed until at least mid October

It will be at least mid-October before ferry service between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia is restored.

The seasonal service across the Northumberland Strait was shut down nine days ago following engine problems with MV Saaremaa, which is being leased from Quebec's ferry service for a third season.

That news came on the heels of MV Confederation colliding with the wharf on Sept. 15, leaving a hole in the bow visor and making the passenger and vehicle ferry inoperable.

Northumberland Ferries had hoped to have Saaremaa back in service as early as Wednesday, but in a news release Tuesday morning, the company said the earliest return would be Oct. 19.

The ferry has four main engines, two eight-cylinder and two six-cylinder. The problems had been in the six-cylinder engines, but during repair operations all four engines were examined.

"Additional issues have been discovered on the two eight-cylinder variants," NFL general manager Jeff Joyce said in the release. "These issues would impact the ongoing reliability and performance of the vessel and must be rectified prior to the vessel being deemed fit for operations by the regulatory authorities."

The current timeline for Saaremaa's return to service on Oct. 19 is dependent on further inspections and certifications.

Officials initially said Confederation would be out of service until at least the end of September, but Northumberland Ferries also provided an update on those repairs Tuesday, saying the bow visor was removed from the ship and prepared for repair at the CME shipyard in Pictou over the weekend.

"The current expectation is that the repairs, replacement, testing, and certifying process will take 10 weeks, with two shifts of welders and repair teams working 24/7 at the shipyard," said Joyce.

That would make the earliest return-to-service date for Confederation Dec. 9, about 10 days before the service is scheduled to shut down for the season.

But Joyce said the ferry company is exploring another option.

"Due to the high importance of service recovery, NFL is fast tracking the possibility of temporarily and safely returning MV Confederation to service without one bow visor," said Joyce.

"We believe we will be in a position to determine the feasibility of this by the end of the week but there is considerable work to do in terms of both our internal and external approvals."

Joyce said the operator has tried to find a temporary replacement for the service, but found no boats available.