 Passengers of the Jiimaan ferry are stranded on board the boat after it went aground due to extremely low water conditions. (MARK RIBBLE/QMI Agency)
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WINDSOR, Ont. - Thirty-three people on board the ferry that provides transportation to Ontario’s most southerly community are in for a long night.
The Jiimaan ferry, which runs between Kingsville, Ont., and Pelee Island, southeast of Windsor, went aground off the shore of Kingsville at approximately 1:45 p.m. Thursday due to extremely low water conditions.
Susan Schrempf, president and CEO of the Owen Sound Transportation Company, which operates the ferry, said the Canadian Coast Guard was called, but the 18 passengers and 15 crewmen will have to remain on the ship until around 5 a.m. because of poor weather conditions.
“The passengers will stay on all night, and that’s perfectly safe. The ship isn’t going anywhere (but) they are quite comfortable,” she said. “They’re being fed and kept warm and dry. That’s about all we can do right now.”
Schrempf said there is no apparent damage to the ship and that high winds are what moved the sand to create the low water conditions. Schrempf also said there is no apparent damage to the ferry and the passengers are in no danger.
