The ferry MV Holiday Island was evacuated on Friday afternoon after a fire broke out in the engine room earlier in the day.
The ferry left port in Caribou, NS at 10am bound for Wood Islands, PEI. The fire started just after 11am
According to Northumberland Ferries Limited, which operates the ferry, the vessel’s crew and safety systems brought the fire under control and no one was injured.
The ferry is stranded at the entrance to the Wood Islands harbor.
“Out of an abundance of caution and to focus on getting passengers ashore safely, we are suspending all operations on the Wood Islands-Caribou service today,” Don Cormier, vice president of Northumberland Ferries, said in a statement.
Please note that all remaining Northumberland Ferries departures have been canceled for Friday 22nd July due to an emergency with the MV Holiday Island. We are currently evacuating passengers and crew safely and there are no known injuries. We apologize for the inconvenience caused.
— Northumberland Ferries (@PEIFerries) July 22, 2022
PEI RCMP also tweeted and asked the public to avoid the area to allow first responders to operate.
#RCMPPEI assists with incident at sea near Wood Island Ferry Terminal. The terminal is currently closed. Members of the public are asked to avoid the area to allow first responders to do their job.
— RCMP PEI (@RCMPPEI) July 22, 2022
Passengers were evacuated from the ship via inflatable slides to reach rafts below. All passengers got off the boat and were brought ashore. The Coast Guard remains in place.
According to the Halifax Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, 182 passengers disembarked safely, while 18 crew members and seven local firefighters remained on board.
A press conference is expected later on Friday.
This is a developing story. There is more…
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