MV Holiday Island

The MV Holiday Island is a Canadian RORO ferry that operates across the Northumberland Strait between the ports of Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island and Caribou, Nova Scotia. The vessel is owned by the Government of Canada and is managed and operated by Northumberland Ferries Limited.

MV Holiday Island in Northumberland Strait, Pictou Island in background

Built in 1971 by the Government of Canada for Canadian National Railways (CNR) at Port Weller Dry Docks in St. Catharines, Ontario, Holiday Island is designed for the sheltered waters of the Northumberland Strait; as such, her vehicle decks are open on both sides and she lacks a hurricane bow. She measures 99.06 metres in length, 20.9 metres in beam and has a gross tonnage of 3,307. She has a capacity for 485 passengers and 155 vehicles or 16 tractor trailers. She is a sister ship to the MV Vacationland.[1]

CNR changed the name of its ferry services to CN Marine in 1977 and then to Marine Atlantic in 1986. Holiday Island served on a service at the western end of the Northumberland Strait, crossing at Abegweit Passage, between the ports of Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick and Port Borden, Prince Edward Island.[2]

The opening of the Confederation Bridge on June 1, 1997 saw Marine Atlantic close its ferry service and all of its vessels on this route except Holiday Island were disposed and sold off by the Crown Assets division of the Department of Public Works and Government Services. Holiday Island sailed 100 kilometres to the east end of the strait and began service that month under the colours of Northumberland Ferries Ltd., replacing two smaller ferries (MV Prince Nova, which was sold to a ferry company operating in Long Island Sound, and MV Prince Edward, which was sold to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador).

In 2016, Northumberland Ferries announced that the vessel would not be in service until necessary repairs could be made. [3] In early October 2016, the MV Holiday Island arrived in Wood Islands, PEI after undergoing repairs and re-entered service later that month. She also sports the new livery of Northumberland Ferries, along with the MV Confederation.[4]

References
  1. "General Information | Northumberland Ferries". Ferries. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
  2. "Proud of our History - The MV Holiday Island - The Journey by Marine Atlantic". The Journey. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
  3. Sincalir, Jesara. "Northumberland Ferries says MV Holiday Island won't enter service as planned". CBC News. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  4. Ross, Shane. "Ferry service cancelled Friday, but Holiday Island on way home after repairs". CBC news. Retrieved 17 October 2016.


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