MV Leif Ericson

Last updated

2022-08-19 MV LEIF ERIKSEN - IMO 8917388.jpg
Leif Ericson
History
Name
  • 1991-2001: Stena Challenger
  • 2001 onwards: Leif Ericson
Operator
Port of registry
Builder Fosen Mekaniske Verksteder (Fosen Yards), Rissa Municipality, Norway
Yard number50
Laid down13 March 1990 [1]
Launched4 October 1990 [1]
Completed1 May 1991 [1]
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics [1] [2]
Tonnage
  • 18,523  GT
  • 5,556  NT
  • 4,598  DWT
Length
  • LOA 158 m (518.4 ft)
  • LBP 142 m (466 ft)
Beam24.3 m (79.7 ft)
Draught7.9 m (25.9 ft)
Depth13.2 m (43 ft)
Ice class DNV ICE-1B
Installed power2 x Sulzer 8 ZAL40S diesels
Propulsion2 x controllable pitch propellers
Speed18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Capacity
  • 500 passengers
  • 1550 lane meters

The MV Leif Ericson is a commercial passenger/vehicle ferry in service with the Canadian operator Marine Atlantic. She is currently the oldest vessel in the Marine Atlantic fleet. She was built along with two sister ships by Fosen Mekaniske Verksteder, Norway in the early 1990s. These two are Oslofjord and Patria Seaways. she also has 2 Half Sisters in "Gryf" and "Lider Express". Leif Ericson and Patria Seaways were originally owned by the Swedish Company Stena Line AB as their "Stena Challenger" & "Stena Traveller" respectively

Contents

Stena

The vessel was built at Fosen Yard, Norway in 1990 as MS Stena Challenger for Stena Line. She originally operated across the English Channel between Dover, England, and Calais, France, and also operated for awhile in Freight Only Mode on Sealink Stena Line's RORO Freight service to Dunkerque alongside SNCF's TrainFerry Nord-pas-de-Calais

Marine Atlantic

MV Leif Ericson, seen in her original Marine Atlantic livery. Traversier de Terre-Neuve.JPG
MV Leif Ericson, seen in her original Marine Atlantic livery.

The vessel was purchased by the Government of Canada for its Crown corporation Marine Atlantic in 2001 and underwent modifications in preparation for operating the 178 km route between North Sydney, Nova Scotia and Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Labrador.

She was renamed Leif Ericson in honour of the 1000th anniversary of Leif Ericson's settlement in Newfoundland, reportedly the first European to set foot in the New World.

In June 2010, Marine Atlantic announced an extensive midlife refit of approximately $18 million over the next twelve months for the MV Leif Ericson. [3]

In May 2015, she was in Deyton's Shipyard, Charleston, SC for repainting and other repairs.

Incidents

On 19 September 1995 Stena Challenger ran aground on Blériot Plage whilst waiting to enter the port of Calais. [4]

On 26 October 2006 Leif Ericson collided with a concrete structure in Port aux Basques after losing power. [5]

Vessel specifications

The vessel has a capacity of 500 passengers and 300 passenger vehicles (combination of automobiles and tractor trailers).

She usually operates carrying commercial vehicles only on the North Sydney-Port aux Basques route. Passenger traffic is usually handled by the MV Blue Puttees and MV Highlanders and the MV Ala'suinu from late September to mid June.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stena Line</span> Swedish ferry operator

Stena Line is a Swedish shipping line company and one of the world's largest ferry operators. It services Denmark, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Finland and Sweden. Stena Line is a major unit of Stena AB, itself a part of the Stena Sphere. It is a sister company to one of the world's leading tanker company Stena Bulk. Stena bulk is one of the top ownership tanker company in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Atlantic</span> Independent Canadian federal Crown corporation operating ferries

Marine Atlantic Inc. is an independent Canadian federal Crown corporation which is mandated to operate ferry services between the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Channel-Port aux Basques</span> Town in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Channel-Port aux Basques is a town at the extreme southwestern tip of Newfoundland fronting on the western end of the Cabot Strait. A Marine Atlantic ferry terminal is located in the town which is the primary entry point onto the island of Newfoundland and the western terminus of the Newfoundland and Labrador Route 1 in the province. The town was incorporated in 1945 and its population in the 2021 census was 3,547.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish Ferries</span> Irish maritime transport company

Irish Ferries is an Irish ferry and transport company that operates passenger and freight services on routes between Ireland, Britain and Continental Europe, including Dublin Port–Holyhead; Rosslare Europort to Pembroke as well as Dublin Port-Cherbourg in France.

MV <i>Joseph and Clara Smallwood</i> Former Marine Atlantic ferry

MV Joseph and Clara Smallwood was a Marine Atlantic passenger/vehicle ferry which operated in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, between Newfoundland and Cape Breton Island in eastern Canada.

MV <i>Caribou</i> Former Marine Atlantic ferry

MV Caribou was a Marine Atlantic passenger/vehicle ferry which operated between the islands of Newfoundland and Cape Breton in eastern Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LD Lines</span> Former French passenger and freight shipping company

LD Lines was a French shipping company, with both roro freight and passenger ferry operations. It was a subsidiary of Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA), which engages in building, owning, operating, and managing vessels. LD Lines operated ferry routes on the English Channel, the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean Sea.

MS <i>Isle of Innisfree</i> (2021) Passenger and car ferry ship

MS Isle of Innisfree is a passenger and car ferry operated by Irish Ferries between Rosslare and Pembroke Dock. Originally built at Boelwerf as the Prins Filip originally sailing between Dover and Ostend, later between Ostend and Ramsgate, she has since 1997 operated for a variety of companies.

MV <i>Superfast IX</i> Tallink ferry

MV Superfast IX is a fast ro-pax ferry owned by the Estonian ferry company Tallink, and was under charter to Canadian operator Marine Atlantic until March 2024. In February 2015, Marine Atlantic announced that the lease on the vessel had been renewed until November 2017 for a cost of Can$40 million. It was subsequently extended again, and the vessel was under Marine Atlantic control up to March 2024. Atlantic Vision operated on Marine Atlantic's services between North Sydney, Nova Scotia, and the Newfoundland ports of Channel-Port aux Basques and Argentia, Placentia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transmanche Ferries</span> Brand of Ferry

Transmanche Ferries is a brand name for the ships on the Newhaven - Dieppe route across the English Channel. The ferry route is operated by DFDS Seaways.

MV <i>Pelagitis</i> Ferry

MV Pelagitis is a roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferry formerly operated by Marine Atlantic from North Sydney, Nova Scotia to Channel-Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, Canada. The vessel was completed in 1978 by Hyundai Shipbuilding Company Limited in and delivered to the Stena Line which operates in Northern Europe. She was sold on 12 March 2010 and given her current name Pelagitis.

MS <i>A. Nepita</i>

MS A Nepita is a fast ropax ferry operating for Corsica Linea. Before November 2014 she operated between Dover and Calais for DFDS Seaways France and between 2008 and 2012 for SeaFrance.

MS <i>Stena Nordica</i> (2000) Stena Line ro-pax ferry

Stena Nordica is a ro-pax ferry owned and operated by Stena Line.

MV <i>Blue Puttees</i> Marine Atlantic ferry

MV Blue Puttees is a Ro-Pax passenger/vehicle ferry operated by Marine Atlantic between the islands of Newfoundland and Cape Breton in eastern Canada. She is named after the nickname of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.

MS <i>Al Andalus Express</i>

MS Al Andalus Express is a freight ferry owned by Eurotunnel and operated by Naviera Armas. She was built in 1987 by Chantiers du Nord et de la Mediterranee, Dunkirk for Societe Nationale des Chemin de Fer Francais (SNCF) as a multi-purpose passenger and roll-on roll-off ferry for lorries and railway vehicles. After the introduction of Eurotunnel there was no need for a train ferry, so SNCF was losing money running her. She was acquired by SNAT and Stena Sealink in 1989, which operated the Nord Pas-de-Calais until 31 December 1995. From 1 January 1996 SNAT operated as SeaFrance. The vessel was renamed SeaFrance Nord Pas-de-Calais. SeaFrance operated until November 2011, and was liquidated on 9 January 2012. Eurotunnel won the bid for the three of the former SeaFrance vessels the original name of the vessel was restored, dropping the SeaFrance prefix. MyFerryLink started running on 20 August 2012, although Nord Pas-de-Calais joined in November 2012 following a refit. Following MyFerryLink's cessation of operations, mostly cited due to financial issues, the ferry was used directly by Eurotunnel to carry hazmat cargoes that are not allowed on regular train services.

MV <i>Highlanders</i> Marine Atlantic ferry

MV Highlanders is a Ro-Pax passenger/vehicle ferry operated by the Canadian Crown corporation Marine Atlantic. She operates between the islands of Newfoundland and Cape Breton in eastern Canada and is named after several Nova Scotian infantry regiments which fought in the first and second world wars.

MV <i>Stena Livia</i>

Stena Livia is a roll-on/roll-off (Ro/Ro) ferry operated by Stena Line on their Travemünde–Liepāja service. It was built in 2008, and originally named Norman Voyager.

MS <i>Dalmacija</i> (1993) Norwegian registered ro-ro passenger ferry

Dalmacija is a Croatian-registered ro-ro passenger ferry owned and operated by Jadrolinija. Dalmacija is the last of three similar vessels built by Fosen Mekaniske Verksteder in the early 1990s. The other two vessels are Leif Ericson and Patria Seaways.

<i>E-Flexer</i>-class ferry Class of Ro-Pax ferries

The E-Flexer is a class of Chinese-built Ro-Pax ferries ordered by Stena RoRo for European line service. Fifteen vessels of the class are on order, and upon delivery will be operated by Stena Line, Brittany Ferries, DFDS Seaways, Marine Atlantic, Corsica Linea and Attica Group. Stena Line are to take five vessels of the class, Brittany Ferries five, and a single vessel each to DFDS and Marine Atlantic, of which the latter's vessel will also be hybrid electric. All of the vessels will be delivered to Stena RoRo with the Stena Line vessels transferred to that company and the Brittany Ferries, DFDS and Marine Atlantic examples long-term chartered to those operators, with an option to purchase at the end of the charter.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Leif Ericson (16855)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV . Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  2. "Marine Atlantic". Archived from the original on 3 March 2008. Retrieved 12 September 2007.
  3. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Marine Accident Investigation Branch "Investigation into the grounding of the Passenger Ro-Ro Ferry Stena Challenger", accessed 6 January 2012
  5. CBC News "Marine Atlantic ferry loses power, hits barrier", accessed 6 January 2012

Commons-logo.svg Media related to IMO 8917388 at Wikimedia Commons