Bay Ferries Limited , or simply, Bay Ferries , is a ferry company operating in eastern Canada and headquartered in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. It is a subsidiary of Northumberland Ferries Limited (NFL) and a twin company in Bay Ferries Great Lakes Limited.
Bay Ferries commenced operations in 1997 after being granted an operating license for the ferry routes in Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of Maine being stopped by the Federal Marine Marine Atlantic company as part of cost-cutting measures.
Video Bay Ferries
Bay of Fundy
Bay Ferries operates a ferry service in the Bay of Fundy between Saint John, New Brunswick, and Digby, Nova Scotia, using the Fundy Rose MV ship .
This ferry service is a continuation of the 19th century steamship service, extended by the Atlantic Landing Train in the early 20th century and later from the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). This service was originally operated from rail facilities on the wharf at Long Wharf in Saint John and the current public dock in Digby.
The current terminals in Saint John and Digby were built in 1969 by the federal government under an agreement with Canadian Pacific (CP) and the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. CP is to build a new ferry, MV Princess of Acadia (built in 1971), the federal government will build and own a new ferry terminal, and the provincial government will build new roads to connect terminals with their respective highway networks -something. If CP ever suffered an operating loss, it was agreed that the federal government would take over responsibility for the service.
The service became unprofitable for CP in 1974 and the federal government stepped in, providing operating subsidies to maintain service. In 1976, the service (and ship Princess of Acadia ) was transferred to the Canadian National Railway and in 1977 was grouped under a separate subsidiary, CN Marine. In 1986 the subsidiary was created as a combined company, Marine Atlantic.
Bay Ferries has continued to operate the service throughout the year since 1997, using Princess of Acadia until 2015 and then Fundy Rose . The ship, along with the ferry terminal, is owned by the Government of Canada. The ferry time is about 3 hours.
Operations Subsidy
Although the federal government has ferry and ship terminals, this inter-provincial ferry service operation is one of the few in Canada that is not subsidized. On June 30, 2006, Bay Ferries announced plans to stop the Princess of Acadia service effective October 31, 2006, citing a 25% drop in total passengers since 1998. The announcement met with widespread opposition, with a group local business owners, caring citizens and ferry company employees set up the "Save The Ferry" committee to help save the service. Over 130 jobs will be stopped immediately and hundreds (maybe thousands) indirectly.
The federal government, which still has ships and terminals, as well as provincial governments of Nova Scotia and municipalities on both sides, sees possible solutions. The governments of Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency offer a combined $ 6 million to subsidize services, with additional funding expected from New Brunswick. A number of subsequent government agreements since 2006 have provided operating subsidies to help keep the ferry in service. The latest subsidy agreement in 2014 came shortly after the announcement that the federal government would purchase a replacement vessel for the Princess of Acadia . This new ship, Fundy Rose was obtained at the end of 2014 and entered service between Saint John and Digby in July 2015.
Maps Bay Ferries
Maine Bay
Bay Ferries operates a ferry service in the Maine Bay of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, to Bar Harbor, Maine, and from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, to Portland, Maine, using a high-speed catamaran ferry service under the marketing name "The Cat".
The ferry route began in 1955 by the Government of Canada at the urging of tourism operators and fish exporters in southwestern Nova Scotia. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the steam service from Yarmouth to New York City, Boston and Portland, Maine, was supplied by operators, the last being the Dominion Atlantic Railway, then the Canadian Pacific Railway. Services that were raised in 1955 saw a new ferry terminal built in Yarmouth and Bar Harbor and used the newly commissioned Bluenose ferry vessel, named after the famous Nova Scotia racing schooner Bluenose .
The service was operated by the Canadian National Railway (then the Canadian National Railway) and in 1977 was included in a CN reorganization that created the CN Marine. In 1982, the newer ship MV Stena Jutlandica was purchased and renamed MV Bluenose (replacing the previous ship). In 1986, CN Marine became Marine Atlantic who continued to operate the service, although it was downgraded to seasonal operations in May-October in the mid-1990s. Since the Gulf of Maine service is operated to the United States, it is not owned by the Government of Canada and is the responsibility of the CN and Atlantic Marine.
After government service mandated cuts to Marine Atlantic in the mid-1990s, Bay Ferries was formed as a subsidiary of the NFL and successfully bargained for the right to operate the Yarmouth-Bar Harbor route. After taking control of the operation in 1997, Bay Ferries continued to operate the Bluenose MV that year, after which it was sold.
Bay Ferries entered into a purchase agreement in late 1997 with Incat in Hobart, Australia, for Incat 046 , a staggering catamaran ferry operating in the Melbourne-Devonport service by TT-line) under the brand name "Satanic Cat. " After acquiring the vessel in 1998, Bay Ferries began using the term "The Cat" for Yarmouth-Bar Port services in the logo on board and in Bay Feri marketing materials. "The Cat" is just the marketing name for the ferry service operated by Bay Ferries, and not the name of the ship, which remains HSC INCAT 046 . The introduction of HSC INCAT 046 to the Gulf of Maine is filled with great publicity and interest among Canadian and American media because it is the first, and currently the fastest (41 knots), large-capacity high-speed ferries in North America , cutting the travel time between two ports from six hours on a conventional ship to less than three hours. In 2002, Incat 046 was sold and The Cat replaced it.
High speed ferries are operated between ports within 2 hours and 30 minutes, compared to a crossing time of more than 6 hours using a conventional ferry boat. The services are seasonal and do not operate during the late fall, winter and early spring when severe sea storms can hamper crossings, although conventional ships are year-round service for years.
The Canadian Government maintains ownership of the ferry terminal at Yarmouth (via Transport Canada) and Bar Harbor (via Marine Atlantic Inc.) but has leased management and operational rights to Bay Ferries.
In the spring of 2005 rival Gulf of Maine ferry operator Scotia Prince Cruises announced that it was canceling the Portland, Maine-Yarmouth service offered by the conventional ship, M/S Scotia Prince , as a result of toxic mold problems at the ferry terminal in Portland, the old Portland Marine Terminal. The city of Portland is in the process of building a replacement ferry terminal, but it is assumed that financial hardship will prevent Scotia Prince Cruises from returning to the Yarmouth service and holding discussions with Bay Ferries about the expansion of Maine Bay services to include Portland, in addition to Bar Harbor. The announcement was made at the end of the summer that Bay Ferries would include "The Cat" service to both ports of Yarmouth starting in 2006 using HSC INCAT 059 .
Beginning in 2006 and continuing into the 2007 operating season, the Nova Scotia Government provides a $ 1.5 million annual subsidy for Bay Ferries due to decreased passenger revenue and increased fuel expenditure. The subsidy was upgraded by the provincial government for the 2008 operating season to $ 6.0 million to account for higher costs and further decline in revenues. It is not known how many subsidies were provided for the 2009 operating season but it is believed to exceed the 2008 amount. The company has received a subsidy of $ 18.9 million since the fall of 2007.
On December 18, 2009, Bay Ferries announced that it ended its Gulf of Maine service from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor and Portland after the Nova Scotia Government ended its subsidies, which left about 120 jobs lost. Bay Ferries has searched for about $ 6.0 million for the 2010 operating season but the provincial government refused, citing financial difficulties. The disposition of HSC INCAT 059 is unknown.
As of June 2010, HSC INCAT 059 can often be seen anchored in the previous terminal in Bar Harbor. Since then it has been purchased by Taiwan and is now called Hai Xia Hao and a passenger ferry/vehicle operated by Fujian Cross Strait Ferry between Taichung and Pingtan Island.
On March 24, 2016, Bay Ferries Limited announced that it has reached an agreement with the US Marine and Navy Administration for the HST-2 multi-year charter. The vessel will be operated for passenger/vehicle ferry services between Portland, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The ship will continue to be named HST-2, but the service and ship will be labeled as CAT to align with previous branding. The vessel is undergoing repairs at the shipyard in South Carolina and service begins on June 15, 2016.
Trinidad and Tobago
Starting January 10, 2005, Bay Ferries started operating HSC INCAT 059 under a wet charter to provide ferry services in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The government of Trinidad and Tobago chartered the ship and crew of Bay Ferries for six months to serve the state ferry routes that are considered a 'sea bridge' between the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.
Under the terms of the charter, the government agreed to pay Bay Ferries US $ 23,800 per day to transport people, goods and vehicles between the two islands. HSC INCAT 059 (still using its service trademark "The Cat") was taken from a seasonal layup to the Caribbean before returning to the Gulf of Maine for a regular six-month summer schedule. During the winter of 2003-2004 HSC INCAT 059 briefly tested the route between Florida and the Bahamas.
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has been in the process of trying to buy fast ferries to serve inter island routes throughout the year. Other vessels used by Bay Ferries in Trinidad and Tobago service during May-October are HSC INCAT 046 , now known as "Lynx" from New Zealand and previously used by Bay Ferries in the Gulf of Maine before INCAT 059 (See above).
On April 21, 2005, HSC INCAT 059 became the inseparable link between the two islands after the Tobago Express plane had problems with its landing gear via the 'air bridge' route. The entire fleet of Tobago Express is blocked for several days waiting for inspection to the fleet and residents are left dependent entirely on high speed ferry services.
During the 2004-2005 winter HSC INCAT 059 transported nearly 175,000 passengers and a total of about 25,000 inter-island vehicles.
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago announced that HSC INCAT 059 will again offer inter island services in November 2005 until next May. The government has purchased two new Incat fast ferries, 91m and 0.46m T & amp; T Spirit (Incat 060) which is currently managed by Bay Ferries Management Limited
Current Fleet
References
External links
- Northumberland Ferries Limited and Bay Ferries Limited - the official website
- "Cat high speed ferry service"
- NFL Ferries - PEI Ferry Service
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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