The purchase agreement is part of a CAD$375 million investment in Marine Atlantic’s ferry service
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Canadian ferry operator Marine Atlantic has purchased Blue Puttees and Highlanders to continue serving customers travelling between Port aux Basques in New Foundland and Labrador and North Sydney in Nova Scotia.
Financed by the Canadian government, the purchase agreement is part of a CAD$375 million investment in Marine Atlantic’s service announced as part Budget 2015. The investment builds on the five-year CAD$521 million funding agreement revealed in the government’s Budget 2010, which was used to renew Marine Atlantic’s fleet, upgrade shore-based infrastructure and renew business processes.
“We are very excited with this announcement and the benefits for our customers,” said Paul Griffin, Marine Atlantic’s president and CEO. “These vessels will provide positive results for Marine Atlantic’s service for years to come. We have already witnessed significant improvements over the past five-years; this new funding envelope will see that momentum continue into the future.”
Blue Puttees and Highlanders, which have been on charter agreement from Stena Line since joining Marine Atlantic’s fleet in 2011, have increased vehicle, seating and cabin capacity on the route.
“Our fleet’s performance has demonstrated our vessels are well-suited to meet the needs of our service,” said Griffin. “Since 2011, customer satisfaction rates have increased by almost 20%, on-time performance has improved to 90% and the time it takes to recover from weather delays has been cut in half. The capacity offered by our vessels is allowing us to carry significantly more traffic in a shorter period of time.”
This February, Marine Atlantic revealed it had renewed a CAD$40 million lease agreement to operate Atlantic Vision until November 2017. The ferry also provides a service between Newfoundland and Labrador and the rest of Canada.