Halifax’s new ferry Has Arrived in Halifax. She sailed from the builder Friday night, and as of 8am Saturday, she was rounding clarks Harbour, making 7.5 knots. She arrived at woodside at 4:20am Sunday morning.
On Wednesday, May 14, Metro Transit will officially unveil the new Christopher Stannix harbour ferry. Halifax Mayor Mike Savage and the family of Christopher Stannix will unveil the first new ferry to service Halifax Harbour in over 25 years.
In the days Prior to the 14th, Staff will be trialing the boat in the Harbour. The new ferry will ensure that residents will have increased service on the Woodside/Halifax route and will go into service on May 20. The updated schedule for the Woodside Ferry Route can be found here: http://www.halifax.ca/metrotransit/Schedules/documents/FerryWoodsideWebSchedule.pdf
To properly celebrate this momentous occasion, Metro Transit’s harbour ferry service will be ENTIRELY FREE for all travellers on May 14th. Below is a list of events for Wednesday, May 14:
All day and evening of May 14th FREE FERRY SERVICE Woodside to Halifax and Alderney to Halifax free for all passengers
We Offered a Construction update Earlier
Photo At top Via Bay Ferry Man
The Following Photos were provided By HRM, and show the construction of the new Harbour Ferry Christopher Stannix at the A.F. Theriault & Son Shipyard in Meteghan.HRM Assembled a Flickr site with Additional progress photos here.
(Above) Engine room (Below) ER and Passenger Access
(Below) Wheelhouse fitting out.
The Digby Courier had Article with an update from mid December. The Photos below By John DeMings who wrote the article. and were taken from the article.
After a call for submissions, narrowing those submissions down to a finalist list of five and over 12,000 individuals picking their favorite name for the new harbour ferry, we have a winner. The name of the new harbour ferry will be Christopher Stannix. This option recived 61% of the vote
A reservist with the Halifax-based Princess Louise Fusiliers, Stannix had achieved the rank of master corporal but accepted a demotion to corporal in order to go to Afghanistan. In April 2007, at age 24, Stannix was killed by a roadside bomb while patrolling in Kandahar, Afganistan.
Once the new vessel is received, Metro Transit will organize a ceremony to commemorate its launch and more details on that will be available in the coming weeks. Currently, the new harbour ferry name sits with Transport Canada for final approvals, which are expected to be received shortly.
Past ferries have been named for Military Men. The First Steam powered Ferry, Sir C. Ogle, was named after Charles Ogle, then the Commander of the North Atlantic Station. Boxer was also Named after Captain Boxer, of a Royal Navy Ship that rendered assistance to the Steam Boat Company
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
HRM released an Expressions of interest for the construction of 2 new Ferries. These new vessels will be built to the same plans as the 4th ferry currently under construction by AF Theriault & Son.
From the Document:
Metro Transit’s existing ferries were constructed in 1978 (Dartmouth III and Halifax Ill)
and 1986(Woodside I). As such, these ferries are approaching the end of their economic
lifespan. Metro Transit is currently engaged in a project to expand the ferry fleet with the
construction of an additional vessel in support of planned service improvements on the
Woodside ferry route to be completed in the spring of 2014 and as awarded to A.F.
Theriault & Son Ltd. – (Tender No. 13-009).
HRM now plans to construct two more ferries in years 2014-2015 and 2017-18
The documentation presented to Council surrounding the construction of the 4th ferry mentioned that it was the start of fleet renewal, and that engineering work would be transferable to replacement ferries fro Halifax III and Dartmouth III
The province and STM Quest Inc. have signed an agreement to support a new cruise ferry in Yarmouth, to begin in May 2014. The province has received a signed copy of the agreement and amendments from STM Quest Inc. The company has committed to a May start.
The province and company agreed to make amendments to the letter of offer announced in early September. The parties have:
— clarified language and added more detail including how the province will provide funding during the start-up phase, and the terms of senior management salary deferral during the start-up and if there are operating losses
— revised deadlines for conditions the company must meet
— clarified how and when ST Marine will provide its $3 million contribution
— added auditing rights for the province for more accountability
The province’s financial commitment remains the same. It will provide $21 million to the company over seven years, including $10.5 million toward start-up costs, with $1.5 million each year for marketing.
There are a number of terms and conditions for STM Quest Inc. to receive the assistance and earn forgiveness for the loan.
For a ferry to start operating in 2014, STM Quest, other levels of government and partners must work on: having border services in place in both ports, upgrading the Yarmouth ferry terminal, signing berthing agreements in the two ports, and getting all licences and permits needed to operate a ferry service.
Marketing the ferry and Nova Scotia to potential visitors from the mid-Atlantic and north eastern United States are key parts of the service. The Nova Scotia Tourism Agency has been meeting with STM Quest Inc. to co-ordinate the province’s tourism marketing plans with the company’s detailed plan.
Background information is available at http://novascotia.ca/econ/ in the Initiatives section.
There are reports around that the Princes of Acadia Ferry has Grounded. marine traffic shows her having departed St John, so the incident likely occurred on the Digby side.
UPDATE: The ferry apparently lost power and drifted into shallow water approaching the dock in Digby. Power has been restored, There is no water ingress, and the vessel is afloat.
UPDATE: Photo above JONATHAN RILEY PHOTO (NovaNewsNow Story)
UPDATE: The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is deploying a team of investigators to Digby, Nova Scotia where the vessel Princess of Acadia lost power and ran aground while approaching the wharf. The TSB will gather information and assess the occurrence.
Metro transit has announced voting for the name of the new harbour ferry Currently under construction at AF Theriault and sons In Meteghan NS. Starting today, until Wednesday, November 20th, residents can log on to www.Halifax.ca/surveys and pick their favorite name from a list of five finalists. Those choices are:
Chebucto – This Mi’kmaq name means ‘the biggest harbour’. There is evidence that the Mi’kmaq would spend the summer on the shores of the Bedford Basin, before heading inland for winter.
Christopher Stannix – Christopher Stannix was a graduate of Auburn High School and attended Saint Mary’s University. In 2001 he enlisted with the Canadian Armed Forces and in 2007 willingly accepted a reduction in rank to serve his county. In April 2007, Master Corporal Stannix was killed when the vehicle he was in struck a roadside bomb. He was 24 years old.
Daniel Brownlow – Mr. Brownlow was a former Mayor of Dartmouth from 1976 until 1985 and was the longest serving Mayor in Dartmouth’s history. In addition to great service to public life, Mr. Brownlow also served as the Queen’s Harbour Master responsible for the safety of Halifax Harbour.
Robert Keddy – ‘Captain Bob’ as he was known worked as a seaman on both the Bounty and the Bluenose II. In 1969 he took over as the Captain of the Halifax-Dartmouth Ferry and later served as Ferry Services Supervisor. Captain Keddy became synonymous with the ferry service until he retired in 1998. He passed away in March 2013.
Vincent Coleman – Vincent Coleman was a train dispatcher who, on the morning of the Halifax Explosion, December 6, 1917, telegraphed a message instructing all trains inbound for Halifax to stop. Hundreds of passengers were kept away from the impending explosion because of his efforts.
Additional information and background on all of the finalists are available on www.Halifax.ca/surveys.
The original list of 1,200 names was shortened down to 20 names by Metro Transit and HRM Corporate Communications staff, based on appropriateness and originality. The final list of five names was determined by a selection committee comprised of Mayor Savage and one councillor from each of the three HRM Community Councils. This was the process agreed to by Regional Council.
PEI ferry holiday island is due at the halifax shipyard tomorow morning around 9am.
