(fr: '''Marine Atlantique''') is an independent
Canadian Crown Corporation offering
Ferry services between the provinces of
Newfoundland And Labrador and
Nova Scotia .
Marine Atlantic was established in
1986 to take over the provision of ferry services in
Atlantic Canada which had previously been operated by
CN Marine , a subsidiary of
Canadian National Railway .
Marine Atlantic's corporate headquarters are in
St. John's, Newfoundland And Labrador .
Currently, Marine Atlantic operates ferries between
North Sydney, Nova Scotia and
Port Aux Basques ,
Newfoundland route year-round (96
Nautical Mile s). This route is mandated under Newfoundland's "Terms of Union" in the
Constitution Of Canada . This route was assumed by
Canadian National Railway in
1949 from the
Newfoundland Railway , upon
Newfoundland's entry into
Confederation .
Marine Atlantic also operates a seasonal service on a route between North Sydney and
Argentia, Newfoundland (280
Nautical Mile s).
Marine Atlantic owns and operates 3 ''Ro-Pax'' (roll-on, roll-off, passenger) vessels and 1 vessel dedicated for
Tractor Trailer/cargo traffic.
The ''
MV Caribou '' and the ''
MV Joseph And Clara Smallwood '' are the largest
Icebreaking passenger ferries in the world, and the largest ferry vessels operating in
North America . Classed "100A1" by
Lloyd's with an ice classification of "Northern Baltic 1A Super," these vessels have similar dimensions as medium-sized
Cruise Ship s. They are based on a unique Canadian hull-design called ''Gulfspan'', which permits the ships to slice through sea ice rather than riding up onto and crushing it as conventional icebreakers do. Their dimensions are 27,000 registered
Tons and 179 metres long, carrying 1,200 passengers, 100 crew, and 370 automobile-equivalent vehicles.
MV ''Leif Ericson'' is the company's third passenger ferry, having been purchased in 2001. Significantly smaller and a less-capable
Icebreaker than the ''Gulfspan'' vessels, this ferry's dimensions are 4,600 registered
Tons and 157 metres long, carrying 500 passengers, and 250 automobile-equivalent vehicles. ''Atlantic Freighter'' is the company's dedicated freight and cargo vessel.
Extensive budget cuts by the
Government Of Canada during the latter part of the
1990s led to a drastic downsizing of Marine Atlantic's operations.
In
1997 the
Confederation Bridge replaced Marine Atlantic's constitutionally-mandated ferry service to
Prince Edward Island .
That same year saw the operation of the Saint John-Digby and Yarmouth-Bar Harbor services transferred to the private sector company
Bay Ferries Limited , a subsidiary of
Northumberland Ferries Limited .
Marine Atlantic also removed itself from the provision of coastal ferry services in
Newfoundland And Labrador with the transfer of operations to the provincial government at the end of the
1997 season, in exchange for federal funding to extend regional roads (such as the
Trans-Labrador Highway ) to service coastal communities. These coastal ferry services had been initiated by the
Newfoundland Railway and were assumed by
Canadian National Railways , following the province's entry into
Confederation in
1949 , although they were not constitutionally mandated.
In
1998 , the company moved its headquarters from
Moncton, New Brunswick to
St. John's, Newfoundland And Labrador , after briefly considering
North Sydney, Nova Scotia and
Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland And Labrador .
In late
2004 the federal government announced the appointment of a three-member committee tasked with examining future operations of Marine Atlantic. One of the options being considered is reportedly
Privatization .
From its inception in
1986 until
1997 , Marine Atlantic operated the following routes:
- MV ''Marine Evangeline''
- MV ''Ambrose Shea''
- MV ''Marine Nautica''
- MV ''Marine Atlantica''
- MV ''John Hamilton Gray''
- MV ''Marine Cruiser''
- MV ''Bluenose''
- MV ''Princess of Acadia''
- MV ''Sir Robert Bond''
- MV ''Northern Ranger''
- MV ''Marine Runner''
- MV ''Marine Courier''
- MV ''Taverner''
- MV ''Petite Forte''
- MV '' Abegweit ''
- MV ''John Hamilton Gray''
- MV ''Vacationland''
- MV ''Holiday Island''
For further information on ferries which operated on
Northumberland Strait prior to Marine Atlantic's service (1986-1997), consult the entry on
Confederation Bridge .
- [http://www.marine-atlantic.ca Marine Atlantic Corporate Web Site]
