NORTH SYDNEY -
Ferry schedules are being rearranged after a fire aboard the Atlantic Vision this morning.
According to the company, at 7:05 a.m. (NS time), approximately 90 minutes after departing North Sydney, a fire alarm sounded in one of the thermal heating units on the vessel. The fire was contained to the unit.
The vessel returned to port in North Sydney, and as required, the North Sydney Fire Department was notified.
All 626 passengers disembarked the vessel, and there are no injuries. The vessel is currently moored at the Marine Atlantic alternate dock in North Sydney as it undergoes repairs and assessment.
"This the busiest time of year for Marine Atlantic, and we are doing our best to accommodate all customers in a timely manner. We apologize for any inconvenience and ask our customers to please be patient during this time," said John Majchrowicz, Vice President of Operations.
Marine Atlantic is implementing the following measures to transport customers who are being impacted:
• The North Sydney parking lot is closed to traffic until further notice.
• New reservations will not be accepted for the next 24 hours to enable to company to reschedule and contact customers affected by the schedule changes.
• The North Sydney to Argentia crossing scheduled for 9 p.m. on July 29 (NS time) is cancelled. As well, the Argentia to North Sydney sailing at 4 p.m. on July 30 is cancelled. Customers with a reservation for these crossings are asked to not proceed to the ferry terminals. Reservations will be re-scheduled and customers will be contacted.
• The MV Joseph and Clara Smallwood is currently in North Sydney. The vessel is expected to depart at 2:15 p.m. (NS time) with passengers and vehicles from the MV Atlantic Vision and proceed to Port aux Basques.
• Customers with reservations for the next 48 hours are being re-scheduled to the next available sailings.
• The regular scheduled crossing for the MV Caribou and the MV Joseph and Clara Smallwood will be changed for the next 48 hours to accommodate the maximum amount of passenger traffic possible.
• Commercial traffic will be restricted to the MV Leif Ericson for the next 24 to 48 hours. The Corporation is contacting its commercial customers to identify critical loads which need to be transported in the next 24 hours.
The Atlantic Vision went into service in April.
The vessel operated between Scotland and Belgium from 2002 to 2004, then between Estonia, Finland and Germany, before being chartered by Marine Atlantic.
On Dec. 27, a fire broke out in one of the ship's boiler rooms.
The ferry under charter to carry passengers and commercial traffic between Cape Breton and Newfoundland until 2013.
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