Trucks stalled as Grand Manan ferry stays AWOL

GRAND MANAN, N.B. — Commercial trucks will be lining up for the Grand Manan ferry awhile yet.

The ferry that ran aground in May was supposed to be back in service by the end of this week, but that prediction has been revisited.

The ferry Grand Manan V ran aground near Blacks Harbour, N.B., May 18. It can hold 65 cars and a half dozen big trucks. For two days, the island was cut off from traffic but then a smaller ship, the Grand Manan IV, was hauled back into service.

The Grand Manan IV, known locally as the Black Boat, can carry only 25 cars and two trucks, and then only at high tide.

The 2,500 souls on this Bay of Fundy tourist magnet are reliant on the boat for not only on the necessities of life but also on the baits and tools and huge pieces of equipment needed to support the area’s commercial fishing industry, Grand Manan’s primary industry.

During the height of the lobster season, which is starting now, as many as five truckloads of lobster get delivered across the channel every day.

The Grand Manan V lost power on May 18 and hit ground near the mainland end of the 18 km trip and although it could not return to active service it sailed under its own power to dry Dock in Les Mechins, Que. Officials estimate the ferry underwent about $350,000 in damages.

 


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