Northumberland Ferries Continues to Enhance Vessel Safety

Mark Wilson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Northumberland Ferries Limited (NFL) and Bay Ferries Limited (BFL), issued the following statement in response to the final report released today by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) regarding the 2022 incident involving the MV Holiday Island between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island: 

“The safety of our passengers and crew on any and all of our vessels and throughout all operations is our highest priority at both Northumberland Ferries and Bay Ferries.

“We recognize the MV Holiday incident in 2022 was difficult for our passengers who were affected. We regret the inconvenience caused, not only to the passengers, but to the communities that depend on reliable, uninterrupted service. We are grateful to our crew members who stepped up, together with the dedicated help of first responders, to ensure every passenger made it safely ashore.

“Northumberland Ferries welcomes the findings of the TSB. We have already taken 16 corrective actions, many dating back to 2022, to improve our performance in advance of this report being completed. These actions included enhancing our emergency training, revising and updating procedures, and strengthening operational protocols. We recognize that there is still more to do and we will work with Transport Canada to ensure that the report’s findings are implemented in a timely and effective fashion.

“We appreciate the work of the TSB in their investigation. We co-operated fully with the Board throughout this process and will carefully review the report for any additional opportunities to further enhance our safety policies and procedures.

“Northumberland Ferries and Bay Ferries are an integral part of the Maritime transportation system. We remain committed to serving our communities in a safe and sustainable way.” 

-30- Contact: 

Kelly Williams 
902.219.4274 
[email protected]