MV "Joe Casey" entered service in 1995, operating between East Ferry and Tiverton in Digby Co, NS. Owned and operated by the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Communication, she is the eleventh E.Y.E. ferry design for Nova Scotia and the seventeenth to enter service in the Maritime provinces.
The Petite Passage crossing between East Ferry and Tiverton might well be the most severe in Canada. The operators have to deal with 9 knot currents, heavy turbulance, a 25-30' tidal range, fog, and with a strong wind against the tide, 5-7 meter seas.
The design developed to deal with these conditions has double ends, two azimuthing propulsion units, and substantial construction including rubber mounted steel grounding bars and heavy fendering. The ferry is highly maneuverable, and all control and propulsion systems are duplicated.
The "Joe Casey" is scheduled to take over for the "Joshua Slocum" on the Grand Passage crossing on the other end of Long Island. The Slocum, another E.Y.E. design in service since 1974, is being retired.
Yet another E.Y.E. designed barge type ferry, similar to the "Joe Casey" but with more capacity, is scheduled to take over the current "Casey" run in 2004.