Halifax ferry’s return to service delayed by another month

The Halifax Regional Municipality says the Vincent Coleman ferry's return to service has been delayed again.

The Halifax Regional Municipality is giving an update on when one of its ferries is expected to return to service.

On Jan. 14, it was announced the Vincent Coleman, which broke down the week before after a steering system issue, was expected to return to the harbour by the end of the month following repairs.

Due to the shortage of vessels, the Alderney ferry service was reduced from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 8:15 p.m.

However, at the end of the month, HRM said the ferry would not return to service until late February.

The municipality now says the Vincent Coleman is expected to return by late March.

The service reduction remains in place until further notice.

Specialized replacement parts were required to fix the ferry, which have been ordered.

“The delay was compounded due to the availability of these parts. While the initial parts had been received, further technical difficulties required additional replacement parts to be ordered,” reads a Friday news release.

“Halifax Transit continues to work closely with the international supplier who has confirmed that the necessary parts are expected to arrive within two to three weeks. Once these new parts are received, they will be installed and tested.”

HRM adds the Craig Blake ferry is undergoing scheduled inspections, as well as a significant repair, and is not available for service until later this year.

Halifax Transit has five ferries in its fleet.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page