(fr: '''Marine Atlantique''') is an independent
Canadian Crown Corporation offering
Ferry services between the provinces of
Newfoundland And Labrador and
Nova Scotia .
Marine Atlantic's corporate headquarters are in
St. John's, Newfoundland And Labrador .
Marine Atlantic operates ferries across the
Cabot Strait on two routes:
The 96
Nautical Mile Port aux Basques route is operated year-round and is mandated under Newfoundland's "Terms of Union" in the
Constitution Of Canada . This service was assumed by
Canadian National Railway in
1949 from the
Newfoundland Railway upon
Newfoundland's entry into
Confederation .
The 280 nautical mile Argentia route is operated seasonally during the summer months. This service was established by CNR in
1967 .
Marine Atlantic owns and operates 3 Ro-Pax (roll-on, roll-off, passenger) vessels and 1 vessel dedicated for
Semi-trailer Truck /containerized cargo traffic.
The
MV ''Caribou'' and the
MV ''Joseph And Clara Smallwood'' are among the largest ferry vessels operating in
North America and are among the largest icebreakers in the world. 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.
The
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 18,500 registered
Tons and 157 metres long, carrying 500 passengers, and 250 automobile-equivalent vehicles.
The
MV ''Atlantic Freighter'' is the company's dedicated freight and cargo vessel. It has a capacity of approximately 80 trailers.
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 . Its headquarters were in
Moncton ,
New Brunswick .
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, precipitated by the
1997 opening of the
Confederation Bridge which replaced Marine Atlantic's most heavily used ferry service, the constitutionally-mandated ferry to
Prince Edward Island .
Later in 1997, the company transferred the operation of its
Bay Of Fundy and
Gulf Of Maine ferry services between
Saint John, New Brunswick -
Digby, Nova Scotia and
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia -
Bar Harbor, Maine to the private-sector company
Bay Ferries Limited , a subsidiary of
Northumberland Ferries Limited .
That year also saw Marine Atlantic remove 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 shipping season. This agreement was reached between the federal and provincial governments 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 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 that was reportedly considered included
Privatization , however the subsequent report called for improved service through fleet renewal, lower fares, increased frequency of crossings, and moving the headquarters to Port aux Basques.
From its inception in
1986 until
1997 , Marine Atlantic operated the following routes:
Marine Atlantic inherited numerous vessels from
CN Marine in 1986, all of which have since been disposed of. Many of these vessels have gone through numerous ownership changes and, given their advanced age, many have also been scrapped.
Cabot Strait
Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy
- MV ''Bluenose''
- MV ''Princess of Acadia''
Labrador Coast
- MV ''Sir Robert Bond''
- MV ''Northern Ranger''
- MV ''Nonia''
Newfoundland South Coast
- MV ''Marine Runner''
- MV ''Marine Courier''
- MV ''Marine Sprinter''
- MV ''Taverner''
- MV ''Petite Forte''
- MV ''Hopedale''
