Crossings between PEI and Nova Scotia are canceled for the rest of the weekend and passengers have yet to recover their vehicles as a fire continues to burn aboard the MV Holiday Island.
The fire broke out in the engine room Friday morning as the ferry, which runs between Caribou, NS and Wood Islands, PEI, was about to dock on the PEI side.
Read more: No injuries after PEI-Nova Scotia ferry fire
Northumberland Ferries Limited initially reported that there were 182 passengers on board. It was upgraded to about 230 passengers on Friday afternoon.
On Saturday morning, Don Cormier, vice president of Northumberland Ferries, said in a statement that the fire “continues to burn within the engine room space and exhaust funnels on Holiday Island.”
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He said the ship’s crew, as well as 14 local firefighters from surrounding districts, called off efforts to put out the fire around 9:30 p.m. Friday night.
“The ship was evacuated of all crew and firefighters as a precaution for the safety of the ship’s crew and firefighters due to the fire and the condition of the ship at night,” Cormier said.
“The fire continued during the night and our teams continue to assess the situation. The fire still appears to be mostly contained to the ship’s engine room and funnels. At this time, smoke can still be seen coming from the funnels of the ship and the engine room.”
0:41 No injuries reported after PEI-Nova Scotia ferry fire No injuries reported after PEI-Nova Scotia ferry fire
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In a separate statement Saturday afternoon, Cormier said the Canadian Coast Guard has been with the vessel throughout the night and continues to monitor the situation.
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Additionally, the tug Svittzer Bedford, “which has some firefighting capability,” has been able to apply some boundary cooling to the ship’s sides and car decks, and an environmental response organization has deployed a boom around the boat as a precaution.
“One chance” vehicles cannot be recovered
Cormier said the company is still “evaluating the feasibility of a recovery plan for the vessel in conjunction with the Coast Guard and local fire authorities.”
“Generally speaking, the current plan being considered would be to tow the vessel into Wood Islands harbor at high tide with two tugs and secure the vessel at the berth,” he said. “Once secured in the berth, fire crews would eventually attempt to extinguish the fire.”
There are currently 83 vehicles on the ship’s two car decks, he said, and all pets were safely evacuated with the passengers. There were no livestock on board either.
It is not yet clear when, or if, passengers will be able to get their vehicles back.
“We understand the impact this has on our customers. We are doing everything we can to try to recover these vehicles and personal items as quickly as possible,” Cormier said.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience as we must execute the vessel recovery and firefighting in a safe and environmentally focused manner. There is still the possibility that despite everyone’s best efforts, we may not be able to recover the vehicles”.
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He said customer service teams are working with affected customers “with a focus on getting them back to their place of residence”.
“There is virtually no accommodation available in PEI and no rental vehicles. If vehicle recovery efforts are successful, we will help arrange for the vehicles to be returned to their owners,” he said.
“We will continue to communicate separately and directly with our customers about all of the above.”
Cormier noted that service on the MV Confederation, the other vessel used to ferry between the two provinces, remains suspended Saturday and Sunday. He said an update on the resumption of service would be provided Sunday afternoon.
— with a file from The Canadian Press
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