The fire may finally be out on the Prince Edward Island to Nova Scotia Ferry.
Northumberland Ferries has released an update on the MV Holiday Island, which caught fire on Friday and forced the evacuation of 182 passengers and 18 staff.
Vice President Don Cormier issued a statement on Sunday morning to say the vessel has been secured in berth.
“The Holiday Island was successfully secured in berth at Wood Islands this morning at 8:30am. Our recovery plan was approved by Coast Guard yesterday evening and, at approximately 6:00 am this morning, we commenced the plan,” the statement reads. “Stability was verified, evacuation slides were disconnected and recovered ashore, anchors disconnected, and tugs secured to the ship.”
The ship was towed into berth with the help of two tugs and a third for back up.
Officials believe the fire on MV Holiday Island has been out since late Saturday afternoon. However, work is ongoing to ensure it has been fully extinguished in all areas of the ship.
Update: Don Cormier, Vice President of Northumberland Ferries Limited, issued the following update on the company’s activities regarding the incident involving the Prince Edward Island-Nova Scotia ferry MV Holiday Island: https://t.co/UHLXnc2vOY
— Northumberland Ferries (@PEIFerries) July 24, 2022
Other safety measures will also be carried out including ensuring the vessel is structurally sound as well as removing any water and putting into effect further environmental protection measures.
Passengers are being asked not to return to the ferry terminal until they are told directly to do so.
“We understand the importance of returning vehicles to our customers and that is a priority, but we ask that customers NOT return to the terminal until directed to do so,” the news release says. “We will continue to separately and directly communicate with our customers concerning all of the above.”
Northumberland Ferries has also announced there will be no service on Monday either. It says the move is due to the ongoing recovery efforts and customer care surrounding the MV Holiday Island incident.
The company hopes to resume crossings with MV Confederation on Tuesday morning.
Transport Canada has announced it will cooperate fully with the Transportation Safety Board as they investigate the incident.
Transport Canada continues to monitor the #MVHolidayIsland situation and is working with all partners on next steps, including a determination of the extent of the damage to the vessel.
— Transport Canada (@Transport_gc) July 24, 2022
A further updated is expected on Monday.
