MV Holiday Island Scrapped

USPA NEWS - On July 22, a fire in the engine room of the MV Holiday Island forced 230 passengers to be evacuated from the ship. Fortunately, there were no injuries to passengers or crew after the vessel was run aground near the terminal in Wood Island’s, Prince Edward Island.

After thorough inspection, the MV Holiday Island was deemed beyond repair and the 52-year old car/passengers ferry, would be hauled away for scrap.

Since 1971, the ferry provided service between Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick, and Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island, before being replaced by the Confederation Bridge in 1997. It would later continue to operate along side the MV Confederation between Caribou and Wood Islands.

Mark Wilson, a senior vice-president at Northumberland Ferries Ltd said in a media release, “There’s got to be hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people who have travelled on the MV Holiday Island. This was the roadway to Prince Edward Island before the bridge. There’s a little bit of a bond there for some people.”

With the long tenure of operation between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, the MV Holiday Island has held a place in the hearts of many generations of travelers making the journey between Canada's Ocean Playground and the island famous for its beautiful beaches, potatoes, seafood along with being the inspiration for Lucy Maud Montgomery's Ann of Green Gables series.

Northumberland Ferries Ltd has confirmed that representatives from the Prince Edward Island Museum, had boarded MV Holdiday Island at the Wood Islands Ferry Terminal to remove artifacts in order to preserve the vessels place in Atlantic Canada's nautical history.

Public Services and Procurement Canada, has reported that R.J. MacIsaac Construction, a company based in Antigonish, Nova Scotia has been awarded the contract for the removal and disposal of the MV Holiday Island.

In late December, 2022, the MV Holiday Island made it’s way through the Canso Causeway (Canso Lock) on her way to Mulgrave and eventually Sheet Harbour for demolition. The operation consisted of the Atlantic Beech with Capt. Brandon Myalls, Capt Joey Myalls and APA pilot Dennis Dorey. These professionals ensured the dead ship safely passed through the Canso Lock. The 52 year old vessel was due to be replaced in 2027.