CBC - April 9, 2015
Cold weather delayed the start of the ferry service to Pelee Island for the second year in a row.
Ferry service to Pelee Island for the 2015 season began Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. when the first boat left Leamington toward Pelee Island.
Thursday morning's ferry departing Pelee Island to Leamington will leave at 7 a.m. not 8 a.m. as scheduled. All other departures will follow the scheduled times.
"Every year, we post that we're going to start the first of April. And then of course we have to make the determination on start date based on the weather conditions and ice," said Susan Schrempf, spokesperson for the Owen Sound Transportation Company, which runs the ferry service.
"This is the second year in the row that ice has pushed us past the first of April."
The Pelee Islander will make the runs for the next three weeks.
The larger Jiimaan begins its season on May 1st.
Flights between the island and Windsor will wrap up Thursday.
Read more, click here.
We are pleased to announce that East Coast Ferries has joined CFA.
East Coast Ferries operates ferries between Campobello, Deer Island, New Brunswick and Maine.
Learn more, click here.
We are pleased to announce that Canadian Maritime Engineering Ltd (CME) has joined CFA.
CME is an advanced manufacturer with manufacturing/repair facilities in Dartmouth NS, Victoria BC, Port Alberni BC, Niagara Falls, ON. They also offer coating, services, and other marine services in Woodside, Sambro, and North Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Learn more, click here.
Port News - April 2, 2015
After having successfully completed the Liquified natural gas (LNG) sea trials too, “F.-A.-Gauthier”, the latest generation ferry built by Fincantieri in its shipyard in Castellammare di Stabia (Naples), left the yard today sailing to Matane, in Québec, Canada. The delivery to Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ), a Québec crown corporation that operates in maritime passenger and vehicles transport, will take place when the ferry will arrive in Canada, Fincantieri said in its press release.
The new vessel represents a genuine technological revolution. It is the first LNG powered ferry ever built in Italy and the first of the kind to enter into service in North America.
A genuine concentration of technology, it adopts the most advanced solutions in terms of energy saving and low environmental impact, enabling a major reduction in emissions of CO2 (carbon dioxide), NOx (nitrogen oxides) and reducing to almost zero the SOx (sulphur oxides). This ship, which is equipped with a unique integrated diesel electric propulsion system has four dual fuel diesel power generators installed and it can run on either gas (Liquid Natural Gas - LNG) or marine diesel oil (MDO). This propulsion system fully meets the ecological requirements of the ECA areas (Baltic Sea, North Sea, Caribbean, North America).
The ship, certified in the highest class designated by international registries for this type of service, is also in ice class 1A with regards to the hull and propulsion class 1AS, which are the highest levels awarded by these classification registries and which allow the vessel to operate non-stop in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, known for its adverse weather conditions. "F.-A.-Gauthier" is also able to break sea ice, thanks to its innovative bow and stern, designed and patented by Fincantieri.
The ferry’s two electric propulsion engines operate azimuth thrusters, each equipped with two Countra-Rotating propellers, which together with bow thrusters, make the ferry exceptionally manoeuvrable. These characteristics, combined with a complex and extensive system of ramps and doors at both bow and stern, will allow the vessel to load and unload very quickly.
133 metres long and 22 metres wide, “F.-A.-Gauthier” will be able to reach a maximum service speed of 20 knots and to carry 800 passengers and 180 vehicles. The ferry will be used in the Province of Québec on the Matane–Baie-Comeau–Godbout route, which, with 1,600 sailings per year, provides transport for more than 180,000 passengers and over 85,000 vehicles, allowing them to reach the opposite side of the river in a 2-hour navigation, instead of a 10-hour drive.
Read more, click here.
CBC - March 30, 2015
An important milestone in the construction of a new ferry for the Fogo Island-Change Islands run took place at a shipyard in Romania on Friday, with the launching of the 80-metre MV Veteran.
Video from the event shows workers chopping into large ropes, and the Veteran slipping sideways into the water.
The $50-million vessel is expected to sail for Newfoundland and Labrador in August, and arrive sometime in the fall.
A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation and Works said the Veteran is expected to commence her service in early November.
The Veteran is one of two identical ferries being built by a Dutch company called Damen Shipyards Group.
The other, MV Legionnaire, will serve the Bell Island ferry route. It is expected to be launched sometime in July.
Both are described as "Super A1" ice class vessels, capable of carrying up to 200 passengers and 60 vehicles.
The pending arrival of the MV Veteran is generating plenty of excitement on Fogo Island, said Maureen Lynch, who chairs the Fogo Island Transportation Committee.
She said the current vessel, the Capt. Earl W. Winsor, is more than 40 years old and is prone to breakdowns.
Lynch said her only complaint about the new ferry is that she was unable to attend last week's launch.
"It's going to make a big difference," Lynch said of the MV Veteran.
She said the fact it is reinforced for travel through ice is an important advantage, reducing the dependence on Coast Guard icebreakers.
When asked if the new vessel will improve the quality of life on Fogo Island, Lynch replied: "Big time."
Read more, click here.
CFOA is open to receiving bids on the following two RFPs:
1. A list with summaries of all regulations related to the operation of ferries in Canada. Click here.
2. A searchable database containing the regulations. Click here.
A company may choose to respond to one or both RFPs.
Process for questions and response timelines are included in the documents.
Digby Courier - March 24, 2015
Bay Ferries posted a new set of fares on their webpage last week, which will increase some fares slightly and decrease others.
First the simple changes:
Babies and toddlers will travel for free on the Digby Saint John ferry starting April 1.
Children aged zero to five years used to pay $5 one-way and $10 return.
Also the no show fee of $25 has been eliminated.
And for commercial travellers, the changes are pretty straightforward: they have generally increased by about a $1 per 10 feet. For example, a 70-foot vehicle used to pay $374 plus the $50 fuel surcharge and will now pay $381 plus the $50 surcharge.
For passengers and non commercial vehicles the rate system has undergone a bigger change.
Bay Ferries used to offer a return rate for vehicles but now doesn’t, but now they do offer a return rate for all passengers, while previously that was only offered for walk-on passengers.
What that means is one way trips have risen in price slightly, return trips for cars with one or two people have gone up slightly, but fares for cars with three or more people in them have gone down moderately.
All together one adult travelling in a car up to 20 feet will pay $18 more for a return trip during peak season.
The adult used to pay $277: $88 as a passenger and $149 for the vehicle plus the $20 fuel surcharge two times. They now will pay $295: $75 as a passenger and $180 (two times $90) for the vehicle plus the $40 fuel surcharge.
However two adults making a return trip in a vehicle up to 20’ will only pay $5 more than last year.
Three adults in a car would pay $8 less this year.
A family of two adults and two youth making a return trip in a vehicle up to 20 feet will pay $11 less this year.
The camper and motorhome rate has remained unchanged at $8.50 per foot.
For a complete set of fares please see www.ferries.ca.
Read more, click here.
Globe and Mail - Mar 18, 2015
The commissioner of BC Ferries has proposed fare increases capped at 1.9 per cent a year over four years – from April, 2016, to March, 2020.
Gord Macatee said he based his decision on lower fuel prices and reduced executive compensation, which is now in line with several Crown corporations.
He said that four years ago, BC Ferries customers were facing the possibility of fares rising by as much as 80 per cent on some routes.
Executive pay at BC Ferries has declined significantly, from $3-million in 2009 to $1.8-million last year, Mr. Macatee said in a report issued Wednesday.
Under the current system, half of that compensation is based on performance and the rest comes from achieving corporate financial targets, he said.
“Cost control has been achieved while obtaining good outcomes with customer satisfaction and passenger and employee safety.”
Transportation Minister Todd Stone said the price cap of 1.9 per cent a year is the lowest since 2003.
Cost reductions by BC Ferries, the government’s historic investment last year of $180-million (which will be ongoing), the elimination of sailings in smaller communities and cutting a seniors’ discount helped get fares under control he said.
BC Ferries was headed for a further $1.2-billion shortfall without such measures, Mr. Stone said, adding that travellers could have faced fare increases of eight per cent a year for 12 years.
“We said in November of 2013 that our overriding objective and our vision for coastal ferries was to get fares where they were trending at the rate of inflation. At the time, we thought that it was probably going to take another four years to achieve that,” he said.
However, Mr. Stone said fare increases in the past eight years have made ferry travel unaffordable, though more people, especially Americans, are now starting to use ferries because of the drop in the Canadian dollar and a stronger U.S. economy.
By 2017, five ferries will be powered by LNG and save a total of $12-million a year for 27 years, he said.
Mr. Stone said the province is working with the federal government in trying to get more financial support for ferries.
“We do believe that there may be an opportunity to look at some of the required crewing levels that are mandated by Transport Canada,” he said. “Crewing levels are significantly higher than those in other neighbouring jurisdictions like in Washington state and the Alaska ferry system as well.”
The public is invited to comment on the fare proposal until June 30, and a final decision will be made in September.
The independent BC Ferry Commission regulates fares charged by BC Ferries.
Read more, click here.
March 13, 2015
The spring 2015 National Canadian Marine Advisory Council (CMAC) meeting will take place on April 21-23, 2015.
This year’s location has been changed to the Shaw Centre attached to the Westin Hotel and the Rideau Centre, located at 55 Colonel By Drive in Ottawa.
For more informing including the schedule, please login to our Members section.
CBC - March 13, 2015
The new $50-million vessel that will begin serving the Fogo Island-Change Islands ferry service later this year finally has a name: MV Veteran.
The vessel will also pay tribute to four notable women and men from Fogo Island and Change Islands, with the observation deck named in honour of A. R. Scammell, and the passenger lounges named after Capt. Fred Chaffey, Capt. Patrick Miller and Margaret Cobb.
Newfoundland and Labrador government leaders announced the name during a ceremony on Fogo Island Friday morning.
Premier Paul Davis said recent acts of violence in Canada are "reminders of the valiancy" of Canadians who wear a uniform and serve their country.
"Their sacrifices, as well as the sacrifices of our veterans, have left an indelible mark on our society, and for that we must be forever grateful," said Davis.
The MV Veteran is one of two identical vessels being built at a shipyard in Romania. It is scheduled to arrive in September.
A second vessel will serve the Bell Island run, and will arrive less than year from now.
The vessels are expected to dramatically increase the quality of service to residents and businesses.
Arthur Reginald. Scammell was born on Change Islands in 1913, and was a prominent member of the province's arts community. He is a recipient of the Order of Canada, and composed the song Squid Jiggin' Ground.
Captains Fred Chaffey and Patrick Miller both operated a ferry service that connected Change Islands and Fogo Island to mainland Newfoundland for many years, while Margaret Cobb was a well-known nurse on Fogo Island.
"It is appropriate that we celebrate the tremendous contributions of four notable women and men from the region which will benefit from this new ferry," said Transportation and Works Minister David Brazil.
The new ferry is an 80-metre ice-class vessel with the capacity to carry up to 200 passengers and 60 vehicles.
Read more, click here.