Bay Ferries
 | |
| Company type | Private Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island(1997) |
| Headquarters | Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada |
| Products | Ferry service |
| Website | www |
Bay Ferries Limited,or simply,Bay Ferries,is a ferry company operating in eastern Canada and is headquartered inCharlottetown, Prince Edward Island,Canada. It is a subsidiary ofNorthumberland Ferries Limitedand a sister company to the defunctBay Ferries Great Lakes Limited.
Bay Ferries began operations in 1997 upon being awarded the operating licenses for ferry routes in theBay of FundyandGulf of Mainewhich were being discontinued by federalCrown corporationMarine Atlanticas part of cost-cutting measures.
Bay of Fundy[edit]
Bay Ferries operates the ferry service across the Bay of Fundy betweenSaint John, New Brunswick,andDigby, Nova Scotia,using the vesselMVFundy Rose.
This ferry service is a continuation of steamship service dating to the 19th century, expanded upon by theDominion Atlantic Railwayin the early 20th century and subsequently theCanadian Pacific Railway(CPR). The service originally operated from dockside rail facilities at Long Wharf in Saint John and the current public wharf in Digby.
The current terminals in Saint John and Digby were constructed in 1969 by the federal government under an agreement with Canadian Pacific (CP) and the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. CP was to build a new ferry, theMVPrincess of Acadia(built in 1971), the federal government would construct and own the new ferry terminals, and the provincial governments would construct new roads to link the terminals with the respective highway networks. If CP ever encountered 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 an operating subsidy to maintain the service. In 1976, the service (and the vesselPrincess of Acadia) were transferred toCanadian National Railwayand in 1977 was grouped under a separate subsidiaryCN Marine.In 1986 this subsidiary was made a separateCrown corporation,Marine Atlantic.
Bay Ferries has continued to operate the year-round service since 1997, usingPrincess of Acadiauntil 2015 and thenFundy Rose.The vessels, along with the ferry terminals, are owned by the Government of Canada. The crossing time is approximately 3 hours.
Operating Subsidies[edit]
Although the federal government owns the ferry terminals and vessels, the operation of this inter-provincial ferry service had been one of the few in Canada which was unsubsidized. On June 30, 2006, Bay Ferries announced plans to discontinue thePrincess of Acadiaservice effective October 31, 2006 citing a 25% decrease in passenger totals since 1998. The announcement met with widespread opposition, with a group of local business owners, concerned citizens and ferry company employees organizing a "Save The Ferry" committee to help save the service. Over 130 jobs would be directly terminated as well as hundreds (possibly thousands) indirectly.
The federal government, which still owns the vessel and terminals, as well as the provincial government of Nova Scotia and municipalities on both sides, looked at possible solutions. The Nova Scotia government andAtlantic Canada Opportunities Agencyoffered a combined $6 million to subsidize the service, 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 most recent subsidy agreement in 2014 came shortly after an announcement that the federal government would purchase a replacement vessel forPrincess of Acadia.[1]This new vessel,Fundy Rosewas acquired in late 2014 and entered service between Saint John and Digby in July 2015.[2]
Gulf of Maine[edit]
Bay Ferries operated ferry service across the Gulf of Maine fromYarmouth, Nova Scotia,toBar Harbor, Maine,and from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, toPortland, Maine,using a high speed catamaran ferry service using the marketing name "The Cat".
This ferry route was initiated in 1955 by the Government of Canada at the insistence of tourism operators and fish exporters in southwesternNova Scotia.Throughout the 19th century and early 20th century, steamship service from Yarmouth toNew York City,Bostonand Portland, Maine, had been provided by various operators, lastly theDominion Atlantic Railway,subsequentlyCanadian Pacific Railway.The resurrected service in 1955 saw new ferry terminals constructed in Yarmouth and Bar Harbor and used the newly commissioned ferryMVBluenose,named after Nova Scotia's famous racing schoonerBluenose.
The service was operated byCanadian National Railways(later Canadian National Railway) and in 1977 was included in the CN reorganization which createdCN Marine.In 1982 a newer vessel MVStena Jutlandicawas purchased and renamed MVBluenose(replacing the previous vessel). In 1986 CN Marine becameMarine Atlanticwhich continued to operate the service, although it was scaled back to a seasonal May–October operation by the mid-1990s. Since the Gulf of Maine service operated to the United States, the vessel was not owned by the Government of Canada and was solely the responsibility of CN and later Marine Atlantic.
Following government-mandated service cutbacks to Marine Atlantic in the mid-1990s, Bay Ferries was formed as a subsidiary of Northumberland Ferries Limited and successfully bid for the right to operate the Yarmouth-Bar Harbor route. Upon taking control of the operation in 1997, Bay Ferries continued to operate the MVBluenosethat year, after which it was sold.
Bay Ferries entered into a purchase agreement in late 1997 withIncatinHobart,Australia,for theIncat 046,a wave-piercing catamaran ferry operating on the Melbourne-Devonport service byTT-line) under the brand name "Devil Cat." Upon acquisition of the vessel in 1998, Bay Ferries began using the term "The Cat" for its Yarmouth-Bar Harbor service in logos on the vessel and in Bay Ferries marketing material. "The Cat" is merely the marketing name for the ferry service operated by Bay Ferries, and not the name of the vessel, which remains HSCINCAT 046.The introduction of HSCINCAT 046to the Gulf of Maine met with great publicity and interest among Canadian and American media as this was the first, and currently the fastest (41 knots), large-capacity high-speed ferry in North America, cutting the trip time between the two ports from six hours on a conventional vessel to less than three hours. In 2002,Incat 046was sold andThe Catreplaced it.
The high speed ferry operated between the ports in 2 hours and 30 minutes, compared with a crossing time of over 6 hours using a conventional ferry vessel. The service was seasonal and did not operate during the late fall, winter and early spring when severe ocean storms could inhibit crossings, although the conventional vessels were year-round services for many years.
The Government of Canada maintains ownership of the ferry terminals in Yarmouth (through Transport Canada) and Bar Harbor (through Marine Atlantic Inc.) but has leased the management and operating rights to Bay Ferries.
In spring 2005 rival Gulf of Maine ferry operatorScotia Prince Cruisesannounced that it was cancelling its Portland, Maine-Yarmouth service offered by a conventional vessel, M/SScotia Prince,as a result of toxic mould problems at its ferry terminal in Portland, the old Portland Marine Terminal. The city of Portland was in the process of constructing a replacement ferry terminal, but it assumed that financial difficulties would prevent Scotia Prince Cruises from returning to the Yarmouth service and entered into discussions with Bay Ferries about expanding its Gulf of Maine service to include Portland, in addition to Bar Harbor. An announcement was made in late summer that Bay Ferries would include "The Cat" service to both ports from Yarmouth beginning in 2006 using HSCINCAT 059.
Beginning with the 2006 and continuing into the 2007 operating seasons, theGovernment of Nova Scotiaprovided an annual $1.5 million subsidy to Bay Ferries due to declining passenger revenue and increased fuel expenditures. The subsidy was increased by the provincial government for the 2008 operating season to $6.0 million to account for rising costs and further declines in revenue. It is unknown how much of a subsidy was provided for the 2009 operating season but it is believed to surpass the 2008 amount. The company has received subsidies totaling $18.9 million since the fall of 2007.[3][4]
On December 18, 2009 Bay Ferries announced that it was ending its Gulf of Maine service from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor and Portland after the Government of Nova Scotia ended the subsidies, resulting in approximately 120 jobs being lost. Bay Ferries had been seeking approximately $6.0 million for the 2010 operating season but the provincial government declined, citing financial difficulty. The disposition of HSCINCAT 059is unknown.[4]
As of June, 2010, HSCINCAT 059could often be seen docked at its former terminal in Bar Harbor. It has since been purchased by Taiwan and is now called Hai Xia Hao and is a passenger / vehicle ferry operated by Fu gian Cross Strait Ferry between Taichung and Pingtan Island.
Ferry service between Maine and Nova Scotia was nonexistent during the following years. During the 2014 and 2015 seasons, a separate company,Nova Star Cruises,operated acruiseferrybetween Portland and Yarmouth, though the company closed at the end of the 2015 season and the vessel was sold.
In March 2016, only a few months after the closure of Nova Star Cruises, Bay Ferries Limited announced that it had reached an agreement with the U.S. Maritime Administration and the U.S. Navy for a multi-yearcharterof a new high-speed catamaran,HST-2.The vessel will be operated for a passenger/vehicle ferry service between Portland, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The vessel will continue to be named HST-2, but the service and vessel will be branded asThe CATto align with the previous branding.[5]The vessel underwent a refit at a shipyard inSouth Carolinaand the service started on June 15, 2016.[5][6][7]
In late 2018, Bay Ferries announced plans to change the ferry’s port in Maine from Portland to Bar Harbor.[8][9][10]Service along this new route was originally expected to begin in summer 2019, but was delayed due to construction work at the Bar Harbor marina.[10]Service was then cancelled during both the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[11]The CATresumed Bar Harbor service for the 2022 season.[12]
Trinidad and Tobago[edit]
Beginning on January 10, 2005, Bay Ferries started operating HSCINCAT 059under a wet charter to provide a ferry service in the Republic ofTrinidad and Tobago.The Government of Trinidad and Tobago chartered the vessel and a Bay Ferries crew for six months to service the country's ferry route considered a 'sea bridge' between the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.[13]
Under the terms of the charter, the government agreed to pay Bay Ferries US$23,800 per day to ferry persons, goods, and vehicles between the two islands. The HSCINCAT 059(still using its service trademark "The Cat" ) was taken from its seasonal layup to the Caribbean before returning to theGulf of Mainefor its regular six-month summer schedule. During the winter of 2003-2004 HSCINCAT 059briefly tested a route betweenFloridaandthe Bahamas.
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has been in the process of trying to purchase a fast ferry to serve the inter-island route all year long. The other vessel used by Bay Ferries in Trinidad and Tobago service during May–October is the HSCINCAT 046,now known as the "Lynx" fromNew Zealandand formerly used by Bay Ferries on the Gulf of Maine before theINCAT 059(See above).
On April 21, 2005 HSCINCAT 059became an indispensable link between the two islands after aTobago Expressaircraft had problems with its landing gear over the 'air bridge' route. The entire Tobago Express fleet was grounded for several days pending inspections to the fleet and citizens were left depending fully on the high speed ferry service.[14]
During the 2004-2005 winter season HSCINCAT 059ferried almost 175,000 passengers and a total of about 25,000 vehicles between the islands.[15]
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago announced that HSCINCAT 059would return to offer inter-island service in November 2005 until the following May.[16] The government has since purchased two new Incat fast ferries, the 91m Incat 046 and the 98m T&T Spirit (Incat 060) which are currently managed by Bay Ferries Management Limited
Current Fleet[edit]
| Ship | Built | Entered service | Current status | Route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MVFundy Rose | 1999 | 2015 | In Service | Saint John-Digby |
| HST-2 | 2007 | 2016 | In Service | Portland-Yarmouth |
References[edit]
- ^"Digby, Caribou ferry services get funding boost from Ottawa | the Chronicle Herald".thechronicleherald.ca.Archived fromthe originalon 4 November 2014.Retrieved13 January2022.
- ^Cromwell, Andrew (July 28, 2015)."MV Fundy Rose makes first trip across Bay of Fundy".Global News.RetrievedAugust 10,2015.
- ^Trotter, Bill (December 18, 2009)."Bay Ferries Ltd. ends Cat service to Maine".Bangor Daily News.Archived fromthe originalon July 19, 2012.
- ^ab"CBC News - Nova Scotia - Yarmouth ferry ends as funding refused".cbc.ca.Archived fromthe originalon 19 December 2009.Retrieved13 January2022.
- ^ab"US Navy to lease high-speed transport to Bay Ferries - Professional Mariner - Web Bulletin 2016".professionalmariner.Retrieved10 July2016.
- ^"The Cat expected to start ferry service in Maine in mid-June - The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram".pressherald.25 May 2016.Retrieved10 July2016.
- ^"High-speed ferry begins service in Portland".bangordailynews.16 June 2016.Retrieved10 July2016.
- ^"The CAT Ferry is coming back to Bar Harbor".June 7, 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-06-11.Retrieved27 June2021.
- ^"Future of Portland's ferry service remains uncertain".News Center Maine.Associated Press. 24 November 2021.Retrieved14 October2021.
- ^ab"Maine-Nova Scotia ferry service further delayed".News Center Maine.Associated Press. 16 July 2019.Retrieved14 October2021.
- ^Gabrielle Mannino (4 February 2021)."For 3rd year, ferry from Maine to Nova Scotia is canceled".News Center Maine.Retrieved14 October2021.
- ^"CAT 2022 Recap".Bay Ferries.8 November 2022.Retrieved12 March2023.
- ^"Caribbean Net News: A new high-powered ferry arrives in Trinidad & Tobago".Archived fromthe originalon 2005-09-28.Retrieved2005-10-06.
- ^'The Cat' comes to Tobago’s rescueArchivedJune 16, 2008, at theWayback Machine
- ^"Trinidad News, Trinidad Newspaper, Trinidad Sports, Trinidad politics, Trinidad and Tobago, Tobago News, Trinidad classifieds, Trinidad TV, Sports, Business".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-10-19.Retrieved2005-10-06.
- ^"Trinidad News, Trinidad Newspaper, Trinidad Sports, Trinidad politics, Trinidad and Tobago, Tobago News, Trinidad classifieds, Trinidad TV, Sports, Business".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-10-07.Retrieved2005-10-06.