NORTH FERRY

Seatruck supports Mersey shiprepair

Heysham-based Seatruck Ferries has drydocked its freight ferry MV Moondance with newly formed North Western Ship Repairers, using Birkenhead's Bidston dock. The dock is not far from the Camell Lairds facility, and North Western is led by John Syvret (ex-MD of Camell Lairds. Seatruck is the first company to use North West for a full drydocking. Kevin Hobbs MD of Seatruck, says, "We are delighted that North Western has stepped in to offer the quality service that we require. Merseyside has once again proved itself as a center of excellence for ship repair and conversion. There is a real need for this type of facility in the North West." Seatruck welcomes the new facility that is well placed to provide for its needs on their Irish Sea route. "Our priority is to ensure minimum downtime for our freight ferry service between Heysham and Warrenpoint," says Hobbs. "We are seeing growing demand on the route and we want to use local facilities so that the ship is out of service for the minimum time possible. We have a lot of confidence in the skill bank available here. They have done a great job and we are getting back in service on time and on budget today." Previously Seatruck had drydocked both its vessels with Camell Lairds who also undertook major conversion work to both freight ro/ro ferries. Seatruck Ferries is part of the U.K.-based Crescent Group. It operates a freight only service between the UK and Ireland on the Heysham-Warrenpoint route.

State Unveils Future for Ferries

Washington State Ferries officials presented their idea of what the future holds for the Kingston ferry terminal. Ridership on the Kingston-Edmonds route is expected to increase by 70 percent in the next 25 years. Although vehicles will play a role in that increase, passenger-only service will likely see an even greater boost, the North Kitsap Herald reported. A third boat will be added to the Kingston-Edmonds route in the summer of 2010 and year-round in 2012

B.C. to replace 3 Ferries

The B.C. Treasury Board on March 22 approved an agreement that will allow the long-awaited purchase of replacements for the vessels on northern routes. The Treasury Board meeting was previously scheduled, and it was a coincidence that it was on the day that the passenger ferry struck a rock and sank off the north coast of the province. The terms of the agreement, under which the province will pay increased service fees to B.C. Ferries, have not been made public

Transas Chosen for Ferry Newbuilds

Transas signed a contract with Uljanik shipyard, Croatia, to equip four ferry new buildings with its onboard navigation systems. The contract will be implemented before the 2006 and the first ferry is scheduled for commissioning at the beginning of 2005. Each ferry will be fitted out with GMDSS equipment, ARPA/Radar system, Automatic Identification System, autopilot, gyro- and magnetic compasses, log, echo sounder, Global Positioning System (GPS) and Ship Security Alert System (SSAS).

North Island Princess Undergoes Modifications

The MV Nimpkish will be brought on to the Texada – Westview route today as the temporary replacement vessel while BC Ferries’ North Island Princess undergoes modifications to its propulsion control system. The North Island Princess, which has recently been fitted with new engines and a new propulsion control system, suffered an engine stall and a hard docking at Westview terminal on Sunday, Nov. 2. Detroit Diesel Allison, the manufacturer and installer of the new engines inspected the

B.C. Approves New Ferries

The B.C. government treasury board approved funding for three replacement ferries on its north coast routes on March 22, the same day Premier Gordon Campbell flew up to the site of the first-ever sinking of a BC Ferry. The Queen of the North sank after apparently hitting a rock at 12:43 a.m. Its 99 passengers and crew were safely evacuated to lifeboats and picked up within two hours by a Canadian Coast Guard vessel patrolling in the area. The incident took place in Wright Sound, after an 8 p

Halter Marine to Build Ferries for State Transportation Department

A $10.7 million contract was awarded to Halter Marine Group for construction of two passenger ferries for North Carolina's Department of Transportation. The 180 ft. ferries, being built at Halter's shipyard in Moss Point Marine are scheduled for delivery to Havelock, N.C. in March 2000 and Southport, N.C. in July 2000. Two Caterpillar 3412 diesel engines will power the ferries with a minimum of 475 hp at 1,200 rpm. The all-steel

BC Ferries Signs $45.5m Deal to Build New Ferry

BC Ferries has signed a $45.5m Contract to construct a new intermediate-sized ferry slated for the Saltery Bay-Earls Cove route. Construction of the 125-car, 600 passenger, 328-ft. vessel will begin later this year at Vancouver Shipyards, a Washington Marine Group company, in North Vancouver. The design includes a lounge, snack bar and a new state-of-the-art lifesaving system. The ship is expected to enter service initially on the Saltery Bay route by the summer of 2008

Couple Feared Dead in Ferry Sinking

Two people are now feared dead after an ocean-going ferry sank when it smashed onto a rocky island on Canada's Pacific coast on March 22. Police have begun a missing persons investigation for the couple, whom witnesses reported seeing on shore with the 99 others rescued from the ferry Queen of the North, but who have not been heard from since. According to Reuters, BC Ferries now fears those witness reports were wrong and that the couple from the town of 100 Mile House, British Columbia

U.K. Orders Six RoRo Ferries; Four Amphibious Ships

The British government placed much-anticipated contracts for six RoRo ferries with two going to UK yards, and four going to a German shipyard. Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon also announced he would place orders for four amphibious landing ships, split between the Swan Hunter shipyard in North-East England and the Govan yards in Glasgow. Two of the ferries will be built by Belfast's Harland & Wolff yard, which built the ill-fated Titanic and is owned by Norway's Fred Olsen Energy