N.S.-P.E.I. ferry anchored after steering issue, passengers stuck off-shore

A ferry between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island was anchored between the two berths for seven hours after a steering issue on Sunday morning.

Crew and passengers were onboard the anchored vessel and waiting for tidal conditions to improve, said Northumberland Ferries Ltd.

MV Confederation departed from Caribou, N.S., at 8:30 a.m., en route to Wood Islands, P.E.I., when the issue occurred.

“The Captain took the necessary precautionary measures to stop the ship and dropped both anchors. The steering is fully functional again, but due to tidal conditions, where the ship is resting, and anchor recovery challenges, the ship is currently unable to sail back to the berth,” said Northumberland Ferries in a news release.

In an update later in the day, the ferry operator said the anchors were recovered by 3:30 p.m. and the vessel was able to safely return to Caribou, N.S. The company noted that all passengers and vehicles were able to safely disembark.

The company said there were no injuries reported among the 217 passengers and 26 crew members, no damage to the vessel and no risk of pollution.

The vessel will now undergo inspections to ensure it is safe to resume operations. As well, the Transportation Safety Board has sent a team of investigators to the look into the incident.

Remaining departures for MV Confederation were cancelled for Sunday, as well as a 7 a.m. Monday trip.

1:47 Fire extinguished on ferry between Nova Scotia and P.E.I.

MV Confederation is one of two ferries running the Caribou and Wood Islands routes.

On July 22, a fire on MV Holiday Island took that vessel out of commission. The fire in its engine room forced an emergency evacuation involving about 230 passengers.

The following week, Northumberland Ferries announced that trips would resume between Nova Scotia and P.E.I. using MV Confederation.

Holiday Island’s replacement, MV Saaremaa 1, began service two weeks ago.