Search operation over for woman who went missing on ferry in Atlantic Canada

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

CHANNEL-PORT AUX BASQUES — A search and rescue operation has ended for a 41-year-old woman who went missing on a ferry travelling between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

Lt.-Cmdr. Len Hickey with the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax says aircraft and ships that had been searching for the woman have been returned to base.

Hickey says in an email that the RCMP have taken over the missing person’s case.

Police have said 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 Hercules plane, Cormorant helicopter, a coast guard ship and a civilian aircraft all searched for the woman in the water south of Port aux Basques, N.L.

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

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2025.