As the shipping news around here is pretty much stagnant around here, It gives me time to share my opinion on an announcement made in June. A week before an announcement made to replace the MV Princess of Acadia, there was an announcement about future upgrades to the Wood Islands, PE-Caribou, NS route which includes terminal upgrades and, get this, engine replacement for the aging MV Holiday Island. Even though the PE-NS route has less severe weather conditions than the Bay of Fundy (NS-NB route), the ship is up there in age and Transport Canada should look at replacement options in the future and hoping that engine replacement is a temporary fix for Northumberland Ferries while future options are explored. That being said however, the Holiday Island is more reliable in inclement weather than her fleet mate MV Confederation from what I've been reading and hearing over the years so on the flip side of this story as long as the ship passes steam ship inspections and is still reliable in the future, keep her running. I still wonder why Transport Canada had brought the Holiday Island to the Wood Islands-Caribou run and not the newer ice breaker Abegweit (built in 1982 in Saint John and last ferry built for the NB-PE run) as if a problem could arise on the Confederation Bridge in the winter time, how could people and traffic from the island get off in that emergency situation? Perhaps her draught was an issue to enter and depart both ports, however, that's only my opinion.
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