Marine Atlantic shopping for new vessel

PORT AUX BASQUES, Nfld. — Atlantic Canada’s largest cargo ferry service is looking to expand its fleet and has received permission from authorities to investigate a German-built vessel.

According to the Telegram newspaper, Marine Atlantic is scouting the Superfast IX ferry. The Newfoundland-North Sydney ferry service was waiting for approval from the Canadian Transportation Agency before negotiating a rental agreement.

A Marine Atlantic spokeswoman said, however, that it’s to early to say whether the Superfast IX is the ship that will join the fleet. A small number of other foreign vessels are also being considered, she said.

Under the Coasting Trade Act, Canadian companies that want to bring a foreign vessel to Canada have to first ask permission from the CTA, which in Marine Atlantic’s case ruled that “there is no suitable Canadian ship available to perform the activity.”

— from the St. John’s Telegram