Out of service: Local businesses suffer as N.S.-PEI ferry stalls again

globalnews.ca:

The sole ferry service responsible for transporting travellers between Nova Scotia and eastern Prince Edward Island has been no stranger to challenges over the past year.

In 2022, a fire broke out on Northumberland Ferries Limited’s MV Holiday Island vessel and put the ship out of service permanently. It was replaced by the MV Confederation, a 30-year-old vessel that’s now been pulled offline twice since mid-June due to “mechanical issues.”

The ferry has postponed operations while the company awaits the arrival of parts expected to resolve the vessel’s issues, meaning tourist traffic continues to routinely pause for communities on both sides of the Northumberland Strait.

Trish Carter, owner of the Galla Designs in Wood Islands, P.E.I., a gift shop located about five minutes from the ferry terminal, said the summer season “certainly hasn’t been fun” so far.

“Since the ferry (closed) it has been absolutely dead, stressful, and frustrating,” she said, noting that about 80 per cent of her summertime business comes from tourists travelling to and from the province via the Northumberland ferry.

In a release from the company on Thursday, it was said that the parts necessary to repair the technical problems were expected to arrive on Saturday, followed by an “expedited repair” that should see the MV Confederation back in service next week.

Carter said the entire business community in the area has been disrupted by the ferry’s reoccurring mechanical issues. In addition to the current problems, service was halted on June 18 as the company was awaiting the arrival of a replacement engine part.

“We’ve already seen one restaurant close because they can’t maintain product that’s not going to sell and they can’t maintain paying staff,”