MV CONFEDERATION

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Ferry repair may be completed earlier than expected

After several weeks with no ferries crossing the Northumberland Strait between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia,, the 'Confederation'could return to service on Dec 6, the company said on Nov 13, provided that the repairs to the vesse after the allision with the wharf in Wood Islands, P.E.I., on Sep. 15, leaving a hole in one of its bow visors, are completed on schedule. The company had been exploring bringing back the ferry without its bow visor, but a risk assessment had determined that scenario created a safety risk of high consequence because this piece of equipment renders the vehicle decks watertight. The shipyard in Pictou expected to repair the bow visor by Dec. 3, Assuming this occurs, the 'Confederation' will return to service Dec. 6. If the remaining work is completed earlier than Dec. 3, the ship will return to service as soon as safely possible to do so and then operate four round trips daily until the end of the sailing season on Dec. 20.

Report: Rudder failure remains a mystery

The TSB was unable to figure out why the 'Confederation' ran aground off N.S. on Sep 4, 2022. The ferry had 217 passengers and 36 crew members on board when its rudder malfunctioned as the ferry left Caribou, N.S., bound for Prince Edward Island. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada on Oct 10, 2024, has issued its final report. But it did not find out what caused its rudder to stop responding to the steering system and take the ship starboard into shallow waters, rather than port to keep it within the navigable channel between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The investigation determined that, at the time of the occurrence, the steering controls, steering gear, and rudder blade were functioning as designed. The TSB was unable to determine why the vessel did not respond to hard-to-port rudder inputs by the quartermaster. The ferry operator, Northumberland Ferries Ltd., stated that the control system was thoroughly inspected with Transport Canada and Lloyd's Register Classification Society personnel present over the winter and has explored all avenues to rule out a re-occurrence. The board said there were two things the Northumberland Ferries could have done better. The rudder did not work as expected starting at around 8:35 a.m., but the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre did not receive a report about the incident until 10:02 a.m. from a concerned third party. The TSB has reported on a number of recent occurrences in which a delay in reporting an incident affected the response. The TSB pointed out that the ship's captain had an accurate count of 217 passengers on board, but NFL shore staff informed the JRCC that the 'Confederation' was carrying 130 passengers and 20 crew members. The ship's master didn't get an accurate count of the 26 crew members on board until nearly 3,5 hours after the incident started. The Northumberland Ferries stated that the ship officials did have an accurate count that day, but then another source provided different numbers. In hindsight, this led to some unnecessary confusion, which could have been prevented. After the ferry grounded, the TSB report noted, two passengers were taken off onto a fishing boat by means of a ladder because they had a flight to catch. The rest stayed on board until the ship could move again with the help of a tug's towline as the tide rose, at around 3 p.m., and the vessel arrived back in Caribou for unloading at 4:18 p.m. The ferry company did carry out a number of actions in the months after the incident, including these: - The steering system was examined while it was in dry dock over the winter. - The company's safety management manual was revised to include an external accident reporting guide," which includes a requirement that the Canadian Coast Guard be notified in an emergency. - Northumberland Ferries brought in more training and a program of periodic drills and exercises.

Ferry suffered steering issues

The 'Confederation' suffered a steering issue en route to Wood Islands in the morning of Sep 4, 2022, shortly after setting out on its 8:30 a.m. sailing from Pictou, Caribou. The Captain took the necessary precautionary measures to stop the ship and dropped both anchors. Although the vessel’s steering was soon fully functional again, because of tidal conditions, where the ship was resting, and anchor recovery challenges, the ship was initially unable to sail back to the berth in Caribou. The anchors were recovered at approximately 3:30 p.m., and the vessel was able to proceed safely to its berth in Caribou. All passengers and vehicles got off the vessel safely. The crew of the Canadian Coast Guard vessel “Cape Spry” provided assistance in getting the 'Confederation' back to the dock. The ship will undergo detailed inspections in Caribou to ensure it is safe to resume operations. The scheduled crossings on Sep 4 for the 'Confederation' have been cancelled, as has the 7:00 a.m. sailing on Sep 5 with the 'Saaremaa 1' remaining in service.