MV Superfast IX

Last updated

Atlantic Vision (Superfast IX) arriving to Tallinn, Paljassaare.png
MV Superfast IX arriving in Tallinn
History
Name
  • 2002–2008: Superfast IX
  • 2008-2024: Atlantic Vision
  • 2024 onwards: Superfast IX
Owner
Operator
  • 2002–2006: Superfast Ferries
  • 2006–2008: Tallink
  • 2008-2024: Marine Atlantic [1]
  • 2024-onwards: Tallink
Port of registry
Builder HDW, Kiel, Germany
Yard number359 [3]
Launched18 November 2000 [1]
Christened11 January 2002 [1]
Acquired8 January 2002 [1]
Maiden voyage10 January 2002 [1]
In service10 January 2002 [1]
Identification
StatusDocked in Paljassaare awaiting orders
General characteristics (as built) [1]
Type Ropax ferry
Tonnage
  • 30,285  GT
  • 10,769  NT
  • 5,915  DWT
Length203.30 m (667 ft)
Beam25.00 m (82 ft)
Draught6.68 m (21 ft 11 in)
Depth9.1 m (29 ft 10 in)
Decks10 [4]
Ice class1 A Super [4]
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed
  • 30.4 knots (56.3 km/h; 35.0 mph) (maximum) [4]
  • 25.5 knots (47.2 km/h; 29.3 mph) (service) [5]
Capacity
  • 626 passengers (as built)
  • 728 passengers (after 2004 refit) [4]
  • 962 passengers (after 2008 refit) [5]
  • 661 cars (as built)
  • 531 cars (after 2008 refit) [5]
  • 2,425 lane meters

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. [6] It was subsequently extended again, and the vessel was under Marine Atlantic control up to March 2024. [7] [ needs update ]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.

Contents

The ship was built in 2002 as MV Superfast IX by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in Kiel, Germany for Attica Group's subsidiary Superfast Ferries. [1]

She was the fastest RoPax and largest KW rating ferry operating in North America.

Service history

2002–2006: Superfast Ferries service

In 2001 Superfast Ferries had made a deal with the Swedish government to operate a ferry connection between Södertälje in Sweden and Rostock for ten years, starting from spring 2002.[ citation needed ]Superfast IX inaugurated this service in January 2002 (she started service on 10 January but wasn't officially named until the 11). The route proved to be unprofitable, and in April of the same year it was closed down, with Superfast IX laid up at HDW in Kiel. On May of the same year Superfast IX, alongside her sister MS Superfast X, started a new service for Superfast, connecting Rosyth (Scotland) to Zeebrugge (Belgium). In February 2004 she was rebuilt with extra cabins at Fosen Mekaniske Verksteder, Fosen, Norway. In November 2005 Superfast IX was moved to Hanko—Rostock route. [1]

MS Superfast IX departing Helsinki for Rostock, May 2007 Superfast IX 180507.jpg
MS Superfast IX departing Helsinki for Rostock, May 2007

In March 2006 Superfast sold their Baltic Sea operations to Tallink for €310 million. [8] Following this Superfast IX and her sisters were re-registered to Paldiski in Estonia, and the route changed to Hanko—Paldiski—Rostock from April 2006 onwards. [1] Calling at Paldiski proved problematic as Estonia was not a member of the Schengen Treaty,[ citation needed ] and in June of the same year the route reverted to Hanko—Rostock. [1] According to the agreement Tallink could keep the Superfast marketing name until the end of 2007,[ citation needed ] but the ships' hulls soon sported the texts "Superfast operated by Tallink". From the beginning on the year 2007 the ship's route changed to Tallinn—Helsinki—Rostock, with the West Harbour as the port in Helsinki. [9] At the same time all remaining Superfast logos and hull markings were removed. [1] At the time it was reported that coinciding with the move to sail from Helsinki the Superfast ships would be transferred to the fleet of Tallink's subsidiary Silja Line, but this did not came to pass. [10]

2008-2024: Marine Atlantic service

In April 2008 Tallink made an agreement for chartering Superfast IX to Marine Atlantic, a Canadian Crown Corporation, for five years from October 2008 onwards. [11] The Government of Canada was to provide Marine Atlantic with $101 million over five years to fund the charter. [12] The ship was to be used by Marine Atlantic on their service between Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Labrador and North Sydney, Nova Scotia. [13] [14] A naming competition was held for the ship, with students in Newfoundland and Labrador and in Cape Breton eligible to make entries. [15] On 21 June 2008 the results of the competition were published, and Atlantic Vision was chosen as the new name for the vessel. [16]

Superfast IX ceased service with Tallink on 31 August 2008 and subsequently sailed to Turku Repair Yard in Naantali, Finland for reconstruction into her new service. [1] The changes made included the installation of more powerful bow thrusters, rebuilding the bow and stern ramps, and refurbishing the interiors. [17] The ship was renamed Atlantic Vision in November 2008. [1] The reconstruction was completed on 14 November 2008, and on the same date the ship was officially delivered to Marine Atlantic. [1] [18]

Atlantic Vision arrived in St. John's, Newfoundland on 7 December 2008. [1] A renaming ceremony was held for the ship on 11 December 2008, although she had officially been renamed already during the previous month. [1]

Atlantic Vision entered service on the Port-aux-Basques—North Sydney route on 1 April 2009. [19] During the summer months, Atlantic Vision's main purpose is to operate the route between North Sydney and Argentia, Newfoundland and Labrador

On March 15, 2024, Atlantic Vision embarked on her final sailing for Marine Atlantic service, leaving Port aux Basques at 1145am for the last time. [20]

Incidents

On 27 December 2008, while the ship was still moored in North Sydney awaiting the beginning of service, a fire broke out in one of the two heating units of Atlantic Vision at 11:50 PM local time. The North Sydney fire department assisted the crew in containing the fire to the boiler room. The fire was extinguished by 1:00 AM on 28 December. No injuries were suffered, but the damage to the ship delayed her entry into service, which was originally slated for March 2009. [21]

Atlantic Vision was again forced to dock when a fire broke out in the second of two heating units on 29 July 2009. [22] The ferry was briefly taken out of service again on 18 August, after striking the dock in Port-aux-Basques, causing a "small abrasion" in the fender at the stern of the vessel. The damage was inspected and repaired and Atlantic Vision returned to service later that day. [23]

On 7 October 2009, Marine Atlantic received a bomb threat directed against Atlantic Vision, which was docked in Port-aux-Basques at the time. The vessel was evacuated and investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), but the threat was determined to be a hoax, and she returned to service shortly thereafter. [24]

On 22 December 2009, Atlantic Vision was again taken out of service after high winds forced the vessel against the fenders during docking procedures at Port-aux-Basques, causing a puncture 5 meters above the waterline at the stern of the vessel. The temporary loss of the ship caused additional delays, as other ferries on the North Sydney - Port-aux-Basques run were unable to dock and offload in Port-aux-Basques while she was being repaired. [25] Atlantic Vision was repaired and returned to service late on 23 December 2009. [26]

Related Research Articles

<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">CN Marine</span> Defunct Canadian ferry company

CN Marine was a Canadian ferry company headquartered in Moncton, New Brunswick.

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.

Tallink is an Estonian shipping company operating Baltic Sea cruiseferries and ropax ships from Estonia to Finland, Estonia to Sweden and Finland to Sweden. It is the largest passenger and cargo shipping company in the Baltic Sea region. It owns Silja Line and a part of SeaRail. Tallink Hotels runs four hotels in Tallinn. It is also the co-owner of a taxi company Tallink Takso.

MV <i>John Hamilton Gray</i> Former Marine Atlantic ferry

MV John Hamilton Gray was an icebreaking railway, vehicle, and passenger ferry which operated across the Abegweit Passage of Northumberland Strait, connecting Port Borden to Cape Tormentine between 1968–1997.

SS <i>Caribou</i> Ship

SS Caribou was a Newfoundland Railway passenger ferry that ran between Port aux Basques, in the Dominion of Newfoundland, and North Sydney, Nova Scotia between 1928 and 1942. During the Battle of the St. Lawrence the ferry participated in thrice-weekly convoys between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. A German submarine attacked the convoy on 14 October 1942 and Caribou was sunk. She had women and children on board, and many of them were among the 137 who died. Her sinking, and large death toll, made it clear that the war had really arrived on Canada's and Newfoundland's home front. Her sinking is cited by many historians as the most significant sinking in Canadian-controlled waters during the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superfast Ferries</span> Greek shipping line ferry company

Superfast Ferries is a Greece-based ferry company founded in 1993 by Pericles Panagopulos and Alexander Panagopulos. Superfast Ferries is a member of Attica Group and operates 5 car-passenger ferries, offering daily connections between Ancona and Bari in Italy, and Patras and Igoumenitsa in Greece. Together with Blue Star Ferries, ANEK Lines and Hellenic Seaways, it is a subsidiary company of Attica Group, which is listed on the Athens Stock Exchange.

MV <i>Northern Ranger</i> Ferry

MV Northern Ranger was a Canadian ice-breaking coastal ferry operating in Newfoundland and Labrador. The ship entered service in 1986 for coastal service in Labrador. The vessel provided service between Nain, Newfoundland and Labrador and Happy Valley-Goose Bay, stopping at points between. The ferry was owned and operated by the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. At the end of 2018, the ship was taken out of service and replaced by a newer vessel on the route between Nain and Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

MV <i>Leif Ericson</i> Marine Atlantic ferry

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.

MS Stena Superfast VII is a fast Ro-Pax ferry owned by Stena Line and operated on their service between Belfast and Cairnryan. Built in 2001 by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in Kiel, Germany for Attica Group's subsidiary Superfast Ferries, The ship was sold to its current owners in 2017.

MS <i>Stena Superfast VIII</i> 2000 ferry

MS Stena Superfast VIII is a fast Ro-Pax ferry owned and operated by Stena Line between Belfast and Cairnryan. The ship was built in 2001 by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW), Kiel, Germany for Attica Group's subsidiary Superfast Ferries. She was sold to her current owners in 2017.

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 for Corsica Linea. The ferry was refurbished in Gdańsk, Poland for her new service and was returned to her original design before her SeaFrance career and looks identical to her sisters Stena Superfast VII & VIII. Before November 2014 she operated between Dover and Calais for DFDS Seaways France and between 2008 and 2012 for SeaFrance.

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.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MV Patrick Morris</span>

MV Patrick Morris was a train ferry regulated by the Canadian National Railway (CN) that sank on her run from North Sydney, Nova Scotia to Port aux Basques, Newfoundland during a storm in the early morning of 20 April 1970 while responding to a mayday call from the Newfoundland-based herring seiner FV Enterprise. The ship's Captain Roland Penney was given permission to leave North Sydney ahead of schedule to assist the distressed wood-hulled fishing vessel .No passengers were aboard Patrick Morris when she set sail shortly before midnight for the rescue mission on 19 April.

MV <i>Apollo</i>

MV Apollo was a vehicle/passenger ferry that previously serviced the route between St. Barbe, Newfoundland and Labrador and Blanc-Sablon, Quebec, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newfoundland and Labrador Route 470</span> Highway in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Route 470, also known as La Poile Highway, is a highway on the West Coast of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the last provincial highway off Route 1 before approaching the Marine Atlantic Ferry to Nova Scotia, in Channel-Port aux Basques. The route is 42.8 kilometres (26.6 mi) in length. During much of the journey, there is plenty of barren land on both sides of the road, until arriving at its final community, Rose Blanche. Route 470 also carries the designation of Granite Coast Scenic Drive.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Asklander, Micke. "M/S Superfast IX (2002)". Fakta om Fartyg (in Swedish). Retrieved 2 April 2008.
  2. ↑ Port of registry: MS/Atlantic Vision Archived 15 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine , retrieved 4 January 2012
  3. 1 2 3 "Atlantic Vision (31780)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV . Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "MV Atlantic Vision vessels specifications". Marine Atlantic. Archived from the original on 4 July 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  5. ↑ "Marine Atlantic renews lease for MV Atlantic Vision". CBC News. 3 February 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  6. ↑ "Marine Atlantic to renew lease on MV Atlantic Vision". The Telegram. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  7. ↑ "Conclusion of sale of Superfast VII, Superfast VIII and Superfast IX to AS Tallink Grupp". Superfast Ferries press release. Superfast Ferries. 21 July 2006. Retrieved 2 April 2008.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ "Tallinkin Superfast alusten siirtyminen liikennöimään Helsingistä Saksaan" (in Finnish). Port of Helsinki. 7 November 2006. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 2 April 2008.
  9. ↑ Saken, Mathias (23 October 2006). "Finnjetweb News: Nothing new in the West". Finnjetweb. Retrieved 2 April 2008.
  10. ↑ "Charter of MS Superfast IX". Tallink press release. Tallink. 25 April 2008. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 25 April 2008.
  11. ↑ "Government of Canada Funds New Vessel for Marine Atlantic Inc". Marine Atlantic press release. Marine Atlantic. Archived from the original on 10 May 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
  12. ↑ "Our Ship is coming and she's a beauty". Marine Atlantic. Archived from the original on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
  13. ↑ Tom Peters, "Marine Atlantic gets bigger ferry: Fuel-efficient vessel will join NS-NL route starting in March", The Chronicle Herald [Halifax NS], 11 December 2008, p. C2
  14. ↑ "Name the Vessel Contest Launched by Marine Atlantic". Marine Atlantic press release. Marine Atlantic. Archived from the original on 18 August 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
  15. ↑ "Atlantic Vision chosen as ship's new name". The Western Star. 21 June 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
  16. ↑ "2008-11, M/S Atlantic Vision". Turku Repair Yard Ltd. 18 December 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
  17. ↑ "Charter of Superfast IX" (PDF). Tallink press release. Tallink. 18 November 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 January 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  18. ↑ "MV Atlantic Vision". Marine Atlantic. Archived from the original on 18 February 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
  19. ↑ "Final Crossing of the Atlantic Vision | Marine Atlantic". www.marineatlantic.ca. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  20. ↑ "Marine Atlantic investigates blaze aboard newest ferry". CBC News. 29 December 2008. Archived from the original on 30 December 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  21. ↑ "Fire forces ferry to return to NS". CBC News. 29 July 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
  22. ↑ "N.L. ferry strikes dock, repaired quickly". CBC News. 19 August 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  23. ↑ "Hoax delays N.L., N.S. ferries". CBC News. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  24. ↑ "Crash punctures ferry between N.L. and N.S." CBC News. 22 December 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  25. ↑ "Marine Atlantic ferries getting back on schedule". CBC News. 24 December 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.