The Canadian Ferry Association’s Annual Conference is an opportunity for businesses, consultants, and other industries to share their innovative products and services with senior representatives from Canada’s ferry sector.
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Our 2015 Conference will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia – Sept 13-15.
This year’s theme is “Cutting Edge: New Technologies in the Ferry Sector.”
If your company is interested in presenting a paper or hosting a technical session, please submit an abstract of no more than 200 words to Kristin Baldwin: kbaldwin@cfoa.ca by February 2, 2015.
To register for CFA’s Conference, click ici pour.
Early bird fees available until January 31 – so don’t delay!
For sponsorship opportunities, please click ici pour.
January 2, 2015- Daily Business Buzz
[North Sydney, NS] — It's an active construction site, but workers cleared a path for federal Transportation Minister Lisa Raitt's tour of Marine Atlantic's new terminal building in North Sydney (Nova Scotia) on Monday (Dec. 29).
"I really like seeing places when they are coming together," she said.
"This is a great opportunity to see the bones of the building, to see where security and operations are going to fit in."
Raitt said part of the reason for the upgrades is to make sure Marine Atlantic is current with international safety regulations, and to ensure the passengers are kept as safe as possible.
"It's great to see the planning, I love the local content and it's great to see Marine Atlantic bringing this project to fruition."
The new terminal, which is expected to be open in the spring, is designed with the environment and efficiency in mind, and a focus on securing a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.
"There was a lot of work done between Marine Atlantic and local representatives who wanted to ensure the town was included as part of Marine Atlantic," said Raitt. "Marine Atlantic is part of the municipality and part of downtown North Sydney."
Marine Atlantic provides year-round service between North Sydney and Port aux Basques, N.L., and seasonally between North Sydney and Argentia, N.L.
"This is all about our customers. It's all about providing better service and for us better service comes down to being safe, reliable and efficient," said Marine Atlantic president and CEO Paul Griffin.
Griffin said the first thing people will notice when they enter the building is that space is configured around customer needs.
"We have adequate seating space for folks while they are waiting for a vessel to depart, we have a dedicated commercial customers lounge, and the building is fully accessible."
Griffin said from the outset Marine Atlantic has had co-operative interaction with downtown businesses.
"The new building is much closer to the downtown for our customers. They have accessibility to all of the businesses and eating establishments, and the reaction has been really positive."
The present terminal will be torn down and the space will be converted in to marshalling yard, providing additional space for commercial and passenger traffic.
Griffin said traffic volumes ebb and flow with the economy of Newfoundland.
"The economy is down a bit, so our traffic is down a very small percentage," he said. "I think anything we do to improve the reliability of our service and make our service a more positive experience for the customer base will naturally attract people to the service."
Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor Cecil Clarke said access to the downtown area is important for both Marine Atlantic's customers and employees.
"Marine Atlantic stepped up to the plate, now the community has to step up and make sure there are food and tourist opportunities," Clarke said. "We are going work with our businesses and citizens to take advantage of this."
Referring to the overall development of the port of Sydney, and Marine Atlantic's long-term investment in the ferry service, Clarke said the municipality will be working on trade efforts with Newfoundland and Labrador in the coming year to grow those opportunities.
Ferry facts
• Marine Atlantic's new terminal expected to open in the spring
• Includes a trucker's lounge with dedicated seating area, showers and washroom facilities
• A dedicated staff lounge
• Features a rumble strip (corrugated tile) to help people with impairments
• Playroom for children
• The approximately $20-million project has been consistently on schedule and on budget
Read more, click ici pour.
CFOA CEO Serge Buy was interviewed by CTV regarding the rescue efforts following the fire onboard the Greek ferry Norman Atlantic.
View ici pour.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the passengers and crew of the Norman Atlantic, the Greek ferry that caught fire in the Adriatic Sea.
From Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development:
Canadians who know of any friends or relatives on board the ferry can contact: sos@international.gc.ca or call collect at 1-613-996-8885.
OTTAWA, Dec. 17, 2014 /CNW/ - Starting 31/12/2016, any newly installed automated self-service kiosks used for such things as check in, printing of boarding passes and baggage tags at Canadian air, ferry and train terminals should be accessible to travellers with disabilities, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that 25 percent of kiosks are accessible by 31/12/2022.
This is the expectation of the Canadian Transportation Agency's recently amended Code of practice: Removing Communication Barriers for Travellers with Disabilities. The standard is harmonized with the new United States Department of Transportation (DOT) rule published late last year, providing greater predictability and consistency across North America for travellers with disabilities.
The standard was developed based on input received during consultations with the Agency's Accessibility Advisory Committee, which consists of representatives from associations representing the interests of persons with disabilities, major Canadian airlines, passenger railway companies, ferry operators, as well as with air industry stakeholders and the Canadian Airports Council. A two-year implementation period is provided to account for current technical and manufacturing limitations.
Quick Facts
The standard applies to the following terminals and carriers:
Read more, click ici pour.
For information about the updated "Code of Practice: Removing Communication Barriers for Travellers with Disabilities," please click ici pour.
For information about the implementation, please click ici pour.
CBC - December 15, 2014
BC Ferries has announced it is eliminating its 3.4 percent fuel surcharge effective Wednesday, Dec 17 as the price of oil continues to fall.
"With the current favourable market conditions, we have been hedging our diesel fuel costs and are now in a position to eliminate the fuel surcharge," said BC Ferries President Mike Corrigan Monday in a news release.
"We know that fare affordability is an issue for our customers"
BC Ferries said the corporation expects the fuel surcharge will be eliminated for at least a year-and-a-half.
BC Ferries first added fuel surcharges in 2008, but gave customers a rebate when fuel prices fell in 2009, and 2010.
In 2011, BC Ferries raised its surcharge from 2.5 per cent to five per cent on the three major routes connecting Metro Vancouver and the Island before scrapping it again in 2012.
In January 2014 when it implemented the latest surcharge, the corporation said every one percent increase in the price of a litre of fuel translated at that time into a $1.2 million increase in expenses.
The price of oil has fallen more than 45 percent since the summer due to only moderate demand and an increase in U.S. oil production.
Read more, click ici pour.
Chronicle Herald - 11/12/2014
DIGBY — The new ferry soon to be plying Bay of Fundy waters between Digby and Saint John came with a hefty albeit fair price tag, industry sources agree.
Government received value for its money, but the added cost of getting the ship into the country was a bit prohibitive, the head of one organization says.
A 25 per cent tariff applied to passenger ships shorter than 129 metres that are bought overseas by Canadians to service Canadian routes had to be paid on top of the purchase price, said Serge Buy, chief executive officer with the Canadian Ferry Association.
But since the Canadian government bought and owns the former Greek ferry Blue Star Ithaki, temporarily known as Canada 2014, did it pay the tariff?
Yes, the government paid itself.
“The import tariff was applied and was paid separately upon the vessel’s arrival to Canada,” said Ben Stanford, Transport Canada spokesman, in an email.
But the tariff added to the $44.6-million purchase price has rankled the association.
“We’re a little bit tired of this, to be frank, and we’re certainly hoping it’s going to stop,” said Buy.
The ship was still a fairly good deal for Canada, he said.
“I think it’s a good price. We don’t think the government has overpaid for that ship.”
The 124-metre ferry was built in Korea in 2000. The ship was found and procured in Greece by Public Works Canada.
Until 2010, all ships purchased internationally were subject to duties of 25 per cent if the ships were brought into Canada, said Buy. That year, government changed and the tariff on all ships except passenger vessels shorter than 129 metres was cancelled.
Government did this to protect shipbuilding, Buy said.
“But that industry is busy, working flat out from coast to coast. There is a huge demand to renew the Canadian (ferry) fleet.”
He said the average age of vessels is 42 years.
The tariffs are going to disappear, thanks to the European trade agreement that was signed recently. A Korean free trade agreement and others will also help remove the tariff in about eight years, said Buy.
“We expect that there’s about $750 million worth of ships that will have to be purchased by Canadian operators in the next five years,” he said.
Some may wait for the tariffs to disappear, he suggested.
Operators should not have to pay the tariff because that’s money that could be spent on servicing routes, job creation, ship maintenance and repairs, said Buy.
He said about 170 routes are served by 281 ferries in Canada.
West Nova MP Greg Kerr and Saint John MP Rodney Weston said in an earlier statement that they will provide an update in the new year on when the Bay of Fundy ferry will enter service and the naming process.
Read more, click ici pour.
Chronicle Herald - December 9, 2014
Citizens of Digby can be excused for feeling a bit smug about their new ferry — that is, compared to Yarmouth’s Nova Star passenger service to Portland, Me.
With operating expenses of $26 million in under a year, the Nova Star could soon find itself stranded on the unforgiving shoals of Nova Scotia taxpayer discontent after a winter tied up in Shelburne.
The Nova Star depends solely on the province to subsidize its crossings.
But the Digby to Saint John, N.B., run has received $44.3 million from Ottawa for a new ferry plus an operating subsidy worth millions as part of the federal government’s commitment to interprovincial transportation.
New Brunswick and Nova Scotia also contribute to the service, operated by Bay Ferries of Charlottetown, P.E.I.
The former MV Blue Star Ithaki arrived in Saint John from Greece earlier this month and is now in Halifax for a dockside refit so it can replace the Princess of Acadia in 2015.
That ferry, built in Saint John in 1971, will be put on the market and likely sold for scrap if there are no takers.
The refit includes conversion of the ship’s engines from heavy fuel to marine diesel. Bay Ferries spokesman Don Cormier has said the ship retrofit will result in “something pretty close to new,” and he’s anticipating the ferry, called the Canada 2014 for the time being, will attract more traffic.
Transport Canada has the final say on a new name.
The roll-on, roll-off ship was built by Daewoo in Korea in 2000. At 124 metres in length, it is a little shorter than the Princess of Acadia’s 146.3 metres. Its beam is just a metre short of the Princess of Acadia’s maximum width of 20.1 metres.
This vessel excels in its ability to carry passengers, more than 1,300 of them. It can also transport 199 cars, compared to 155 aboard the current vessel.
However, it can only carry 21 truck trailers, compared to the Princess of Acadia’s capacity of 33 tractor-trailers. That has some truckers worried.
“We have lots of runs of Christmas trees down to the States, down to New England states, down to Virginia Beach and so on, so it saves us ... in one round trip up to 14 hours driving,” one Nova Scotia trucker told CTV News. Truckers who transport seafood, a major cargo on the service, are also concerned.
Saint John MP Rodney Weston said late last month that if the trucking industry needs more capacity, extra runs will be considered.
That is welcome news. Commercial clients account for a third of the run’s business, and Nova Scotia’s seafood exports are worth $900 million annually.
With the U.S. economy picking up steam and the Canadian dollar at a five-year low, seafood producers can anticipate higher exports to the U.S.
And the new Digby ferry, landing just an hour’s drive from the U.S. border, will be a key part of that strategy.
So we applaud Transport Minister Lisa Raitt and her staff for investing in an important Maritime sea route that boosts both exports and the Nova Scotia tourism industry.
Read more, click ici pour.
Digby Courier - December 4, 2014
Digby’s mayor took a good look at the replacement ferry for the Digby-Saint John service and he thinks she’s fast.
So fast, he wants to challenge the Yarmouth mayor to a “boat race”.
“That is a fantastic looking ferry and I’m really looking forward to seeing it enter into service next year,” said Mayor Ben Cleveland on the rocks at Point Prim outside Digby as he watched the new ferry steaming off towards Halifax at noon on Dec. 4.
The new-to-us ferry, formerly known as Blue Star Ithaki, and temporarily called Canada2014, arrived in Digby Tuesday, Dec. 2 about 9 p.m.
While here crews verified the fit between the ferry ramps and the Digby wharf, as was done the day before in Saint John.
In Halifax the ship's engines will undergo a 72,000-hour overhaul and conversion from heavy fuel to marine diesel oil.
The ship also needs minor modifications to ensure the vessel complies with Canadian safety regulations, and is compatible with existing shore-based infrastructure and for operation in the Bay of Fundy.
Cleveland said it is great to have southwest Nova Scotia linked with New Brunswick and also with the US via the Yarmouth – Portland ferry service.
“She looks to be a very seaworthy ship and with her faster cruising speeds, she could increase traffic to the service and we could possibly even see an extra trip,” said Cleveland. “Watching it cruise out of the harbour today, I think it is faster than the Yarmouth ferry and so I’d like to challenge (Yarmouth Mayor) Pam Mood to a boat race.”
How would it work?
“The mayors each at the helm of their ferries, Yarmouth to Digby and we’ll cook up a feed of scallops for the losers,” said the Digby mayor.
The Courier passed on this challenge to our colleagues at the Vanguard who asked Mayor Mood of Yarmouth if she would like to respond.
And respond she did:
“First let me say how thrilled we are about the new ship,” said Mayor Mood. “Transportation links are vitally important to the entire province and this one is a beauty in the perfect port.
“As to Mayor Cleveland's challenge, get your captain's hat on and get cooking.
“Because while we are fully capable of leaving you in our wake, the Nova Star isn't built for speed: she's built for pleasure and she's all about the journey.
“Looking forward to those Digby scallops. I'll bring some Yarmouth lobster... You deserve a real treat.”
The two ships have similar ratings – the Nova Star Cruises webpage shows her cruising speed at 21 knots and a recent Transport Canada press release says the Digby-Saint John ship has a cruising speed of 20 knots.
“So it will come down to the person at the helm,” said Cleveland when confronted with those numbers.
Read more, click ici pour.
CFOA CEO Serge Buy was interviewed by CBC New Brunswick regarding the new ferry for the Saint John-Digby route.
Watch now, click ici pour.