The government somewhat quietly announced  this past Friday that the replacement vessel for the MV Princess of Acadia, which serves the Saint John to Digby ferry route, will be named the MV Fundy Rose.

The MV Fundy Rose is a combination of the top names submitted by Canadians as part of a public naming process launched earlier this year.

The first part of the name reflects the renowned tidal level and water volume, the ocean conditions and world-wide appreciation of the Bay of Fundy.

The second part of the name reflects Rose Fortune, a woman born into slavery and relocated to Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, after her family escaped the British colony of Virginia during the American Revolution. She developed a successful business transporting luggage from the ferry docks to Annapolis hotels and homes via wheelbarrow. She also offered a wake-up service to customers to make certain they caught their boat to Digby or Saint John on time. Over time, Rose Fortune became known as the first female police officer in Canada – an unofficial title she earned by maintaining order and safeguarding property at the town’s wharves.

The MV Fundy Rose was purchased by the Government of Canada in October 2014 from a private ferry operator in Greece at a cost of approximately $31 million EURO ($44.6 million CAN).  She was built in 2000 by Daewoo Industries. It is 124 metres in length and 19 metres in breadth, with a cruising speed of 20 knots. It has modern onboard amenities and segregated car and vehicle decks.

Since its arrival in Canada in December 2014, the MV Fundy Rose has been dockside in Halifax undergoing a main engine overhaul; replacement of carpeting and tiles; installation of a truckers’ lounge, a children’s play area and a business lounge; upgrades to computer equipment, kitchen equipment and life saving equipment; improving bow and stern door hydraulics; upgrading alarm, monitoring and engine control systems; and fuel oil tank cleaning.