Marine Atlantic cancels weekend crossings between Nova Scotia and Argentia

Two overnight crossings between Newfoundland andNova Scotia on Friday and Saturday have been cancelled, Marine Atlantic officials said Friday night.

The Argentia, N.L.-North Sydney, N.S.,route is out of service until at least Sunday due to mechanical issues, the ferry operator told CBC News by email.

A spokesperson said one of the engines on the MV Highlander broke down, so itcouldn'tmake the Friday crossing from Port aux Basques, N.L. The operator had to pull the Atlantic Vision from theSaturday evening Argentia-North Sydney crossing to compensate.

"Due to high traffic volumes, cancelling the Argentia crossings will allow more traffic to be moved through the shorter Port aux Basques-North Sydney crossing, therefore allowing more traffic totravel between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia over the next couple of days," the spokesperson wrote.

"Our maintenance teams have identified the problem and are working to fix it as quickly as possible. Initial estimates put repairs at approximately 24 hours. We will continue to monitor the issue and provide additional updates if required."

Affected passengers can cancel their tickets and receive a refund, the spokesperson added, or call Marine Atlantic to rebook.

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