Northumberland Ferries said in a statement on Sunday that the Confederation suffered a steering problem shortly after leaving the dock on its scheduled 8:30am departure. for Wood Islands, PEI As of 11:30, passengers were still on the ship, which is about 25-30 meters out of the channel. The company said the captain took the necessary precautions to stop the ship and dropped both anchors. He said the steering wheel is now fully functional. But the ship cannot sail to its dock due to “tidal conditions” and other factors. “All passengers and crew are safe on board but the ship will likely not be able to return to berth until high tide[conditions] improvement late this afternoon or early evening,” the company said in the statement. “We recognize the inconvenience this is causing and are doing everything we can to safely return Confederation and all passengers to shore.” There are no reports of injuries. The company says there is no damage to the vessel and there is no risk of pollution.
“We were told it could be an all-day affair”
Northumberland Ferries sent out a written notification at around 11am. informing customers that departures at 1:30 p.m. and at 5 p.m. from Wood Islands and departures 11:45 a.m., 3:15 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. from Caribou, were canceled for the day due to “technical issues” with Confederation. Gary Nowlan, who is on board, told customers the stoppage was due to “mechanical problems”. “We’ve been told it could be an all-day case, or it will be an all-day case, and possibly an all-day case,” he said. “Nobody seems mad… There’s a couple of families here with a bunch of little kids and they’re taking it easy. And what else can you do, right? So we’re just playing cards, my wife and I.” Confederation is one of two ferries that operate between Caribou and Wood Islands. MV Saaremaa 1, the vessel brought in to replace MV Holiday Island, started service two weeks ago. Holiday Island has been out of service since late July, after a fire in the engine room caused extensive damage to the ship and forced the evacuation of more than 200 people.
