the Third of January brought the closing date for A  notice of proposed procurement, Designed to find out what may be available for immediate purchase to replace the Digby St. Johns ferry Princess of Acadia.

On June 24th, 2013 the Government of Canada announced its intention to invest in a replacement vessel for the federally-owned MV Princess of Acadia. Traveling the 70 kilometers between St-John, New-Brunswick and Digby, Nova Scotia, the MV Princess of Acadia, operates on a year-round basis carrying passenger and commercial traffic.

The process to find a replacement vessel for the MV Princess of Acadia involves the identification and review of suitable candidate vessels from all over the world, including Canada. After completing various reviews, Canada will select and purchase a vessel which best meets its requirements. Once the vessel has been purchased by Canada, the modifications and refit of the selected vessel will be competed amongst Canadian shipyards in accordance with the Canadian Shipbuilding Policy.

 The Procurement has an aggressive timeline, with the notice now closed, vessels available will be evaluated with Selection of the most suitable vessel occurring by May 31, 2014. the Timeline also lists Delivery of the replacement vessel to Canada July 31, 2014; Modification and refit of the selected vessel to be completed December 31, 2014;and Training of the operating crew completed by February 28, 2015 allowing for delivery of an operational vessel to the operator by March 31, 2015.

Also Announced on the 24th was the re-engining of Holiday Island. That contract was awarded to Cores Worldwide of Elmsdale NS. That firm has done considerable engin work on Canadian Cogerent Vessels, Including Edward Cornwallis, Sir William Alexander, Firebird, CFAV Quest and Others