The crossing between PEI and Nova Scotia has been canceled until the end of the weekend and passengers have yet to collect their vehicles as the fire continues to burn aboard the MV Holiday Island.
The fire broke out in the engine room late Friday morning as the ferry, which runs between Caribou, North Korea, and Wood Islands, PEI, was close to docking on the PEI side.
Read more: No injuries after fire breaks out on PEI-Nova Scotia ferry
Northumberland Ferries Limited initially reported that there were 182 passengers on board. That was updated 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 inside the engine room space and discharge funnels on Holiday Island.”
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He said the ship’s crew, as well as 14 local firefighters from surrounding areas, had called off their efforts to extinguish the blaze around 9.30pm on Friday night.
“The ship was evacuated by all crew and firefighters out of an abundance of caution for the safety of the ship’s crew and firefighters due to the fire and the condition of the ship during the night,” Cormier said.
“The fire continued overnight and our crews 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 could still be seen coming from the ship’s funnels and engine room vents.
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 another announcement later Saturday afternoon, Cormier said the Canadian Coast Guard stood by the ship throughout the night and continued to monitor the situation.
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Also, the Svittzer Bedford tug, “which has some firefighting capability,” was able to apply some boundary cooling to the ship’s sides and car decks, and an environmental response organization deployed a boom around the ship as a precaution.
“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.”
“Basically, the current plan being considered is for the vessel to be towed to the Wood Islands harbor at high tide with two tugs and the vessel secured at anchor,” he said. “Once secured on the bunk, fire crews will attempt to finally extinguish the fire.”
There are currently 83 vehicles on the ship’s two car decks, he said, and all pets have been 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 collect their vehicles.
“We understand the impact this has on our customers. We are doing everything we can to try to get these vehicles and personal belongings back as soon as possible,” Cormier said.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience as we need to carry out the ship’s recovery and firefighting in a safe and environmentally focused manner.” There is still a chance that, despite our best efforts, we may not be able to recover the vehicles.”
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He said customer service teams were working with affected customers “with a focus on getting them back to their place of residence”.
“There are virtually no accommodations available in PEI and no rental cars. If efforts to recover the vehicles are successful, we will help arrange the return of the vehicles to their owners,” he said.
“We will continue to communicate separately and directly with our customers regarding all of the above.”
Cormier noted that service using 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 on Sunday afternoon.
— with file from The Canadian Press
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