Collenette urges swift action on Newfoundland ferry assessment

OTTAWA (Nov. 15, 1999) — Transport Minister David Collenette today announced that he has asked Marine Atlantic Inc. to actively assess the availability of vessels as soon as possible in recognition of the capacity pressure on the corporation’s current fleet.

“It is important to take action to improve this service to Newfoundland,” said Collenette. “The corporation’s current capacity is insufficient to deal with the forecast growth in traffic, particularly for the peak season. Marine Atlantic officials are now looking at the availability of vessels from Europe and North America.”

Marine Atlantic submitted a report to the government last week recommending additional capacity on the corporation’s ferry service between North Sydney, N.S., and Port-aux-Basques, Nfld.

Over the past three years, Marine Atlantic has experienced significant and unexpected growth in traffic levels, with the majority of ferry crossings operating at full capacity. There is concern that the corporation’s current fleet is insufficient given the high frequency of “at-capacity sailings” and the lack of a suitable backup vessel.

The corporation currently offers passenger services on two superferries, the MV Smallwood and the MV Caribou, and one freight vessel, the MV Atlantic Freighter.

Marine Atlantic Inc. is a federal Crown corporation that operates a constitutionally mandated ferry service between the island of Newfoundland and mainland Canada. This service is maintained according to operating and capital agreements with Transport Canada.