C.T.M.A. Vacancier - off to scrap

 The veteran passenger / ferry C.T.M.A. Vacançier has been sold for scrap to India. Details are sketchy so far (will it be towed or sail on its own - how about the Red Sea?) but the ship's Canadian registration was closed December 14, and for now the ship is still alongside in "warm" layup in Georgetown, PE.

 

Running in excess of 20 knots the ship made up time, due to the whale protection "slow zones" in the Gulf of St.Lawrence. 

Starting in 2002 the ship ran a weekly seasonal service between Montreal and Cap-aux-Meules (Grindstone) Magdalen Islands carrying tourists, passengers and cars. The 10 week season allowed for about 30 trips. Its customary early Thursday morning upbound passage off my cottage in Quebec was announced by its two booming V-16 Stork Werkspoor main engines, which could be heard well in advance. In winter, thanks to its Baltic ice class the ship took over the Souris, PE to Cap-aux-Meules service.

At the end of the summer season in October 2019 the ship was laid up. In 2020 it was chartered to the Société des Traversiers du Quebec (STQ) for the Matane / Baie Comeau / Godbout service when the regular ship was in for repairs. It was also available as back up for the C.T.M.A.'s Souris, PE to Cap-aux-Meules service. In 2020 the regular Montreal run was cancelled due to COVID and never resumed.

 The rumoured $100 million cost for a new replacement to run a 10 week summer service could not be justified. However there has been on and off talk of a "used" replacement, and CTMA reps traveled to New Zealand to kick the tires of the Straitsman was but that deal seems to have fallen through. It is getting a little late for another ship to be in service in 2024.

I have covered the details of the 1973 built C.T.M.A. Vacançier several times before on this blog:

February 13, 2015

The new ship for the Souris-Cap-aux-Meules service is still in the design stage by Davie (along with the Holiday Island replacement) and the current "temporary replacement" ship the Madeleine II appears to be in for a long run - until 2029 at least. The recent foofaraw over its stand-in during mandatory drydocking has not been resolved as far as I know. An announcement that the Fundy Rose would be redeployed to the run, leaving no service between Saint John and Digby for four weeks and maybe as much as  eight weeks, caused a huge outcry from southwestern Nova Scotia, and the move was soon rescinded by the federal minister. (Like most ferries it is ownrd by the Federal Government). 

The C.T.M.A. Vacançier on the other hand has been owned outright by CTMA (the Coopérative de Transport Martitime et Aérien). and was never considered for the Saint John - Digby run. (I suspect some of its certificates may have expired.) 

The ship's official name on the Canadian register had periods after the letters, thus C.T.M.A., but it was ofter referred to in various sources as simply CTMA. Similary ts owners aslo have the periods in thir name, but are often called CTMA.

Although I never travelled on the ship, its weekly appearance over many years made it a fixture, and so it will be missed.

.

PEI and other ferry news

 News Item 1 

 The federal government confirmed today (November 16) the purchase of the ferry Fanafjord from Norwegian owners, for CAN$ 38.6 million. The ship will be used on the Wood Islands, PE - Caribou, NS, May to December seasonal service as a temporary replacement for the Holiday Island. A new ferry is in the design stage and may be delivered in 2026.

 Holiday Island

The Holiday Island was declared a constructive total loss after a fire in 2022 and has since been scrapped. For the 2023 summer season, operators Northumberland Ferries Ltd (NFL) were able to borrow a spare ferry from the Société des Traversiers du Québec, the Quebec provincial ferry service. That ship, the Saaremaa I, (a 5233 gt ship, built in 2010) returned to Quebec in October. It could have been recalled at any time if needed in Quebec.

Saaremaa I

Despite reliability issues with the other PEI ferrry, the Confederation, there is no news about its replacement, which is also needed.

Confederation

 Built in 1993 by Ferguson Industries Ltd in Pictou, NS, the 8060 gt Confederation is the main ship on the route. Supplemental service in the peak summer season was provided by the Holiday Island although it had to be used in the shoulder seasons when Confederation was out of service.

The "new" Fanafjord was built in 2007 and at 6904 gt it is barely big enough for the secondary boat use, and will be inadequate if needed to fill in for the Confederation.

Interestingly the Fanafjord is a dual fuel vessel, able to use diesel or LNG, and carried the name Greenferry I for a year from 2021 to 2022. Since there is no nearby means of refueling with LNG, I expect that it will be using diesel fuel exclusively during its Prince Edward Island tenure. 

News Item 2

There has been considerable adverse reaction to news that the Saint John, NB to Digby, NS ferry Fundy Rose will be redeployed for an indefinite period in 2024. A vital link for western Nova Scotia fish products headed for the United States, its removal for even a short period of time will have serious consequences. The road alternative to the ferry would mean a second driver would be required in order to get time sensitive product to market while respecting driver hour limits. Toursim would also be effected depending on the timing of the disruption.

Fundy Rose

The plan is for the Fundy Rose to move to the Souris, PE to Cap-aux-Meules (Grindstone) Magdalen Islands route while its ferry Madeleine II goes to mandatory drydocking in rhe spring of 2024. 

That service requires more robust, sea-going type ships. Madeleine II, built in 2008 is a 15,875 gt ship and itself is an interim vessel until a replacement is delivered. Fundy Rose is a 10,193 gt ship built in 1999 and is also a marginal replacement - even on a temporary basis. 

I wonder if the Magdelan Island operators C.T.M.A. will also reactivate the ancient C.T.M.A. Vacançier (11,481 gt, built in 1973) which has been held in warm layup in Georgetown, PE since the suspension of its passenger service from Montreal in 2020, and occasional replacement service. (Its own replacement by the New Zealand ferry Straitsman has long been rumoured but nothing has been said since February of this year.)

C.T.M.A. Vacançier

 

.

Ferry updates

 Part One

  Last month I reported on the ferries from various parts of Quebec, see Shipfax for July 14. Since that report there have been some interesting events, including the engine rrom fire on Holiday Island on July 22 that has resulted in the "loan" of the  Saarema 1 from the Société des Traversiers du Québec to Northumberland Ferries. Modifications to the ship and the wharves and training for the crew may be completed in time for the ship to enter service this week. If so that will ease the pressure on Confederation which has been making extra crossings. The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the fire on Holiday Island, and so far there has been no word on whether the ship can or will be repaired.

The Holiday Island (2018 photo) was built by Port Weller Drydocks in St.Catharines, ON in 1971 for seasonal service between Cape Tormentine, NB and Borden, PE. Owned by the Minister of Trasnsport, it was one of two ferries built at the same time, originally operated by CN Marine (later Marine Atlantic). When the Confederation Bridge was built the Holiday Island was transfered to the Caribou, NS / Wood Islands, PE route under the operation of Northumberland Ferries Ltd. The sister ferry Vacationland, after an unsuccessful time as the Fundy Paradise on Grand Manan service, was sold to a Quebec company. Their plans to convert it to a dredge pumping station never took place and it remains languishing in Quebec City as a near derelict still bearing the now awkward name of Fundy Paradise. 

Interestingly the sister ferries were launched bearing the names of two Fathers of Canadian Confederation, who were from Prince Edward Island. The names were changed before the ships entered service; William Pope became the Holiday Island and Thomas Haviland was renamed Vacationland.

The Federal Government's March 2019 budget contained provisions for a replacement of the Holiday Island but little progress seems to have been made since then. Whether Saarema 1 can be depended on for service after this season remains unknown but it seems likely the Minister of Transport is shopping. 

It is certain that there will be no repeat of the early 1990s event when the member of Parliament for the Pictou riding announced that a new ferry would be built at the Pictou shipyard, apparently without discussing it with anyone else in government. Such was his power in cabinet however that the Confederation was indeed built by Pictou Industries Ltd and delivered in 1993.

Part Two

 The "cruise ferry" C.T.M.A Vacançier as reported last month remained laid up in Georgetown, PE because it could  not be made to comply with COVID-19 isolation requirements. Its weekly tourist run from Montreal to the Magdalen Islands was cancelled and the ship's future was very much in limbo.

 

Now however it has re-entered service, but for freight only (trucks and vehicles) [I am assumimg this means unaccompanied vehicles] while its fleet mate CTMA Voyageur 2 is at the Chantier Maritime Verreault at Méchins, QC for engine repairs. The duration of repairs is expected to be a month.

CTMA Voyageur 2 (according to Transport Canada there are no periods between the letters of C,T,M, and A on this ships) is a 7606 gt, 5758 dwt RoRo ship acquired in 2019, which runs weekly from Montreal to Cap-aux-Meules, with cargo only. Built in 1999 by Astilleros Huelva in Spain as Lembitu it has carried the names 1998: Dart 7, 99: Lembitu, 00: Celtic Sun, 01: Lembitu, 05: RR Challenge, 07: Challenge, and 08: Clipper Ranger to 2019. 

The Madeleine II (the former Villa de Teror) acquired for service in 2021, runs from Souris, PE to Cap-aux-Meules for passengers, cars and trucks. It is said to be a "temporary" ship to be in use until 2026 when a new purpose built ship will go into service. Major modifications to the piers in Cap-aux-Meules ($11.8 mn) and Souris ($6.8mn) have been necessary however, with work still underway. 

Construction of the 15,875 gt Madeleine II was completed in 2019. Although it was laid down in 2007, original owners Viking Line cancelled the order in 2010 due to delays in construction and it was not until 2013 that another shipyard aquired the ship. It was launched, at Astilleros Sevilla, then moved to Vigo for completion by Factorias Vulcano, but there were still issues with construction delays and costs, and it was not until new owners were found in 2019 that the ship was finally made ready for service. It only operated for a few months between Spain and Morocco before the Minister of Transport acqiured the ship for the C.T.M.A  route. 

The absence of any Canadian civilian shipbuilding capability (until recently) has meant that a grab bag of ships have been purpose built or acquired in used c ondition from overseas. Most of the purchases have worked out well, but there have been exceptions. With new Canadian built replacements for Holiday Island (likely), Madeleine II and a couple of others I could mention, in the offing, it will be interesting to see if they do better.

.

CTMA Vacancier

A weekly passenger service between Montreal and Cap-aux-Meules (Grindstone) in the Magdalen Islands is unique in eastern Canada where most regional ferry services are short distance / short duration. Catering to cruise passengers, it also carries cars (and bicycles), the C.T.M.A. Vacançier has served the route for 17 years and there are plans evolving to replace it.

For technical details see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_C.T.M.A._Vacancier

I see the ship every week when I am Quebec for the summer, as it passes my place on Thursday mornings on its upbound (westbound) leg. Actually I usually hear the ship before I see it, thanks to its pleasantly thumping Stork-Werkspoor engines. For the past two years the ship's passing time has been variable due to speed restrictions in the Gulf of St.Lawrence. Those limits are in place to protect the endangered northern right whales, and resulted in at least one cancellation of its Gaspé port call.

This week the ship was much later than usual and did not hove into view until nearly 1400 hrs. I was ready with my camera because I had heard it coming and it sounded a bit louder than usual. That was because the ship was sailing extremely close to shore. While there is deep water close to shore it is unusual for large ships to come that close.

As the ship passes, crew members are readying the FRC which is stowed just aft of the ship's bridge. Passengers line the rails.
 
It turned out that the ship stopped off the wharf at Cap-à-l'Aigle and sent its FRC ashore. This may have been to land a passenger who may have had a schedule to meet or possibly a medical issue.

Standing off the wharf, a sail boat from the local marina passes by. Note the FRC is away from the ship.

The whole operation took only a few minutes and the ship was soon underway again.

Owners C.T.M.A also operate the ferry Madeleine between Souris, PE  and Cap-aux-Meules. Earlier this month they brought in a new RoRo freight only vessel Clipper Ranger. It has been chartered for a year with a purchase option, to replace C.T.M.A. Voyageur. The new ship can carry 53 trucks with 53 foot trailers, and/or cars  versus 22 on the older ship, and entered service Monday August 19.

.