The high-speed ferry that operates between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, will resume passenger service Thursday, with repairs made to the vessel’s engines.
Mark MacDonald, chairman and CEO of Bay Ferries, confirmed late Wednesday that The Cat would depart from Portland at 3 p.m. Thursday.
“We’re full speed ahead to proceed with a normal crossing,” MacDonald said.
On Monday, the ferry arrived in Portland powered by just two of its four engines after the crew detected an “abnormality” in one of the engines during the 6.5-hour voyage. Bay Ferries was forced to cancel three trips between Yarmouth and Portland – two from Maine to Nova Scotia and one return trip – on Monday and Tuesday. The ferry service does not operate on Wednesday.
The downtime gave crews from Bay Ferries, based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and engine manufacturer MTU time to make repairs. MacDonald said the repair team found a defect in one of the starboard inner main engine’s 20 cylinders.
“These are large, very complex marine engines and things happen to them from time to time,” MacDonald explained. “The engine manufacturer accepted complete responsibility and we are grateful for that.”
MacDonald said he remains encouraged by ticket sales which have exceeded those from the same period in 2016. The 2017 sailing season is scheduled to end Oct. 15.
“We’re looking forward to finishing the season strong,” MacDonald said.
Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:
dhoey@pressherald.com
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