Coast guard searching water off N.L. for woman who went missing on ferry

The new Marine Atlantic ferry, Blue Puttees, at dock in St. John's on Friday, Feb. 11, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly

CHANNEL-PORT AUX BASQUES — A search is underway for a 41-year-old woman who went missing on a ferry travelling between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.

RCMP say the woman was last seen around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday on board the Marine Atlantic Blue Puttees sailing from North Sydney, N.S., to Port aux Basques, N.L.

A spokesperson for the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax says searchers believe the woman may have fallen off the ship.

Lt.-Cmdr. Len Hickey says a Hercules plane, Cormorant helicopter, and a civilian aircraft searched the water south of Port aux Basques on Wednesday, and a coast guard vessel was dispatched to retrace the ferry’s route.

Hickey says the RCMP searched the ferry extensively upon arrival in Port aux Basques and did not find the woman.

He says a Hercules aircraft and a coast guard ship remain in the immediate search area off Port aux Basques, but deteriorating visibility is becoming a concern for searchers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025

The Canadian Press