A ferry owned by a Quebec Crown Corporation will run between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia this summer, according to Northumberland Ferries Limited.
The operator hopes the MV Saaremaa 1 will begin crossings between Caribou, N.S., and Wood Islands, P.E.I., in July, until mid-October.
Owned by Traversiers du Québec (STQ), the ferry will go in for dry-dock maintenance in June in Les Méchins, Que. When the work’s done, it will sail to Caribou, N.S., for final preparations and training before going into service.
"We are very grateful to STQ and the province of Québec for their willingness and assistance to provide us this vessel for the majority of the upcoming season,” said Mark MacDonald, CEO of Northumberland stated in a news release.
However, the deal says that if another of STQ’s vessels needs emergency maintenance, the Quebec company can take the Saaremaa 1 back.
“We are again pleased and proud to be able to assist another member of our industry with a suitable vessel,” Greta Bedard, acting CEO of STQ said in the release.
“We look forward to another season working with NFL to support their customers and communities as we do ours."
The addition of the Saaremaa 1 comes after one of two ferries that runs between N.S. and P.E.I., the MV Holiday Island, caught fire mid-crossing last summer. It has since been decommissioned and sent to the scrap yard. No serious injuries were reported in the fire.
The Saaremaa 1 has been in service in Quebec’s Traverse Matane – Baie-Comeau – Godbout crossing since July 10, 2019.
The vessel was built in Norway in 2010, is just under 100 metres long and can reach a speed of about 16 knots. It offers a boarding capacity of 110 vehicles and 600 passengers, including 300 seats.
STQ says there is a cafeteria, a furnished outdoor deck and a café onboard.
