More than 270 passengers on board the MV Northumberland were stranded July 16 on the vessel for almost six hours after a cleet on the bow visor jammed. The bow visor lifts and allows vehicles to embark and disembark. Photo by Stu Neatby /The GuardianArticle contentPassengers aboard the MV Northumberland were stuck on the ferry for almost six hours on July 16 after the bow visor failed.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentThe delay affected more than 270 passengers.Article contentArticle contentJeff Joyce, general manager for Northumberland Ferries Ltd. (NFL), said the starboard upper cleat for the aft bow visor jammed not allowing the crew to lift the visor, which is the part of the ship that allows people to embark on either end of the vessel.Article contentArticle content“They worked and worked and worked and could not unjam it, and time continued to tick and eventually they had to move out of the way so the (MV) Confederation could get in and drop off their traffic,” Joyce told The Guardian on July 17.Article contentThe MV Northumberland had departed the Wood Islands terminal and encountered the problem of docking in Caribou, N.S.Article contentJoyce said once the Confederation was berthed at Caribou, the Northumberland headed back to Wood Islands with the same traffic it arrived with.Article contentDock designArticle contentMark Wilson, president and CEO of NFL, said even though both the Confederation and Northumberland have double-ended visors, it was not as simple as turning the Northumberland around and backing the traffic off.Article content“Because of the docking configuration, only one end fits into Wood Islands and one end fits into Caribou,” Wilson said. “That’s why we had to go back to Wood Islands.”Article contentArticle content Mark Wilson is president and CEO of Northumberland Ferries Limited. Photo by Tina Comeau /FileArticle contentJoyce said the docks are specifically designed for the Confederation.Article contentArticle content“If we change it then the Confederation doesn’t fit so the best we can come up with, on the ship that Transport Canada bought and we rebuilt, is have the vessel operate as a double-ended vessel but with no redundancy in either berth,” Joyce said. “That is why our vessel had to go back to Wood Islands to off-load that traffic.”Article contentJoyce said because of that issue with the Northumberland, passengers were almost five hours late crossing the Northumberland Strait, as opposed to a half hour.Article contentWhen they sailedArticle contentPassengers would have embarked on the Northumberland at 11:30 a.m. for the 11:45 a.m. crossing and arrived in Caribou just short of 1 p.m. Due to the bow visor issue, people ended up catching the Confederation crossing from Wood Islands almost six hours later.Article content“It was a major inconvenience,” said Joyce, adding that two sailings were cancelled for the Northumberland on July 16.
Passengers on P.E.I. ferry stranded for almost six hours
