Engine problems on Yarmouth ferry won't be fixed until season end

Problems with one of the engines on The Cat ferry will not be fixed until the end of the sailing season, leading the ship's operator to alter the rest of the schedule.

The ferry, which sails between Yarmouth, N.S., and Portland, Me., has been without the use of its starboard outer main engine since June 28, a problem that already led tochanges inthe sailing schedule.

On Friday, Bay Ferries Ltd. announced the problem can't be fixed until the end of the season, requiring further schedule changes.

Forced to slow down

"The engine manufacturers are standing behind their product and will absorb all repair costs when repairs take place," Bay Ferries CEO Mark MacDonald said in a news release.

The issue has caused the ship to reduce sailing speed from 61-65 km/h, to 52-56 km/h. The new schedule will see The Cat make five round trips per week down from the planned six until Labour Day.

The ship will leave Yarmouth at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and return from Portland at 4 p.m. those same days. On Saturdays in July and August, the ship will make one-way crossings to Portland and on Sundays it will make one-way crossings back to Yarmouth.

The reduced schedule eases strain on the remaining engines.

Further modifications for September and October will be announced soon, according to the company.

June passenger numbers increase

The challenges with the engine have been a frustration for what has otherwise been a positive season for the service so far.

Earlier this month it was announced Bay Ferries, as of the end of June, has already sold 80 per cent of the tickets it did the entire previous season.

On Friday, the City of Portland released passenger counts for the first month of the service. From May 31 until June 30, 7,677 passengers sailed on The Cat, with 4,579 of those people landing in Yarmouth.

That marks a sharp increase from June 2016 when The Cat carried a total of 3,616 people, although last year the season did not begin until June 15.