AG Releases Scathing Report on N.L.’s Newest Ferries
Above photo: MV Legionnaire. David Greening Photo
In their first few years of service, the newest additions to Newfoundland and Labrador’s provincial ferry fleet quickly went from being dream boats to duds.
The MV Veteran and MV Legionnaire have been the punchline to more than one joke since they came into service more than five years ago. But more than that, they have been a constant source of frustration for the citizens that depend upon them each day. For example, ...
On the Waterfront – December 2017
Canada’s Largest Commercial Marine Event a Near Sell-Out
With exhibit booth space nearly sold out, excitement is mounting for the next edition of Fish Canada Workboat Canada, returning to the Moncton Coliseum Complex on January 26-27, 2018.
This biennial event is Canada’s largest commercial marine trade show. It welcomes those who make their living on, in, and around the water, along with those who provide the related products and services to keep Atlantic Canada’s marine-based ...
MV Legionnaire Arrives in St. John’s
The new Bell Island ferry has finally made landfall in Newfoundland.
The 80.9-metre MV Legionnaire recently docked in St. John’s harbour and is the second of the two Ro-Pax ferries built by Damen Shipyards Group for the government of Newfoundland and Labrador. The launch and naming ceremony of the vessel was held at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania, in July 2015. The first of the two vessels, MV Veteran, was launched in April 2015.
MV Legionnaire is named in honour of the Newfoundlan...
Foreign Workers Rules Relaxed: Catamaran Ferry Wrong Boat for N.S. Fishery
A policy which was crippling Atlantic fish plants will see changes which will be to the industry’s benefit.
Ottawa announced recently that it was moving ahead with exemptions to the Temporary Foreign Workers Program which would allow employers such as a fish plant operator to bring in an unlimited number of temporary foreign workers, provided the work period is shorter than 180 days.
The Harper government literally killed a number of fishing enterprises when it limited the number of ...
La Collectivité Territoriale de St. Pierre et Miquelon Selects Damen for Two Fast Ferries
In 2015 Collectivité de Saint Pierre et Miquelon launched a tender for two new Mixt Ferries to operate between the two Islands and Fortune (Canada).
The same year the contract was awarded to the Damen Shipyards Group and, in January 2016, the Loan agreement with Rabobank was signed. The project was launched on 11 March at an event in Paris and the vessels will be delivered at the end of 2017.
In close cooperation with the client, Damen designed the Fast RoPax 5510, 55 m long, 11 m wide, ...
NAIA Issues Warning Over Potential Loss of Marine Atlantic Subsidy
Newfoundland’s valuable aquaculture sector warns that without a federal subsidy, Marine Atlantic will create an unfair and unequal economic relationship with other Maritime Provinces, said the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA) in a recent press release.
According to NAIA, the loss of federal subsidies could lead to a doubling of freight rates resulting in higher costs of goods and services for every Newfoundlander and Labradorian who chooses to call this place ...
Federal Budget 2016 Highlights
The federal Liberal Government’s first budget contained quite a few items that directly impact the fishing and marine industries in Atlantic Canada.
Some of the most notable were extension changes to the Employment Insurance program.
Dramatic declines in global oil prices since late 2014 have produced sharp and sustained unemployment shocks in commodity-based regions. In response to these unemployment shocks, Budget 2016 proposes to make legislative changes to extend the duration of EI ...
Ferry Solution Needed for Bay of Fundy / Nova Scotia Needs to Readjust Aquaculture Priorities
Federal Fisheries Minister Hunter Tootoo may be asked to get into the transportation business if the ferry mess in southwest Nova Scotia isn’t solved in the immediate future.
It may cost Canadian taxpayers millions to correct what the Tories did to the system before they were relegated to Never Never Land, but what else is new.
The New England marketplace is a key player for fresh fish and seafood produced in western and south western Nova Scotia — both as a consumer and as a hub to ...
NL Government Provides Update on Arrival of MV Legionnaire
Construction of the MV Legionnaire, the Newfoundland and Labrador’s newest 80-metre ice class ferry, is complete.
The vessel is docked in Romania and will enter service when enhancements to the wharves at Bell Island and Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s are concluded.
“Significant upgrades to infrastructure are required to prepare the wharves at Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s and Bell Island for the MV Legionnaire and this work is progressing. When the construction season begins again in ...
Labrador Straits Ferry Users Advised of Alternate Service Delivery, January 5 – January 22
The Department of Transportation and Works advises Labrador ferry users of an alternate ferry schedule and temporary air service for a two and a half week period from January 5 to January 22.
The alternate schedule is necessary to allow for annual maintenance of the MV Apollo prior to the ice season and while a contracted relief vessel undergoes repairs.
From January 5 to January 22, the MV Astron will provide service between Blanc Sablon and St. Barbe for vehicle traffic and a maximum of ...
