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The HSC ''Virgen de Coromoto'' is an fast
catamaran A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a watercraft with two parallel hull (watercraft), hulls of equal size. The wide distance between a catamaran's hulls imparts stability through resistance to rolling and overturning; no ballast is requi ...
ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...
operated by Consolidada de Ferrys C.A. in
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
. It was built in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
in 2004 for a fast ferry service on
Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...
between
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
and Rochester,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. After the ferry service failed, the boat was sold in 2007 and operated in the
Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Europe from Africa. The two continents are separated by 7.7 nautical miles (14.2 kilometers, 8.9 miles) at its narrowest point. Fe ...
on a
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
-
Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
service until 2012. In 2012–13, the ship operated on Kattegatruten's
Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...
Kalundborg Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,659 (1 January 2025),Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
until October 2013 when the route was cancelled.


Vessel specifications

The vessel was built in 2004 at
Austal Austal Limited is an Australian-based global ship building company and defence prime contractor that specialises in the design, construction and support of defence and commercial vessels. Austal's product range includes naval vessels, High-spee ...
in
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. The catamaran has an overall length of 86.60 meters and a beam of 23.80 m. Her gross tonnage amounts 6,242 GT. The machinery consists of four MTU engines with a total output of 4 x 8,200 kW (44,595 HP) allowing a maximum service speed of . The vessel has a capacity for 774 passengers and 238 car-equivalents (or a maximum of 10 trucks and 150 cars) can be accommodated on board.


History of Rochester–Toronto ferry service

The vessel was delivered by Austal in 2004 and christened ''Spirit of Ontario I'' for the operator Canadian American Transportation Systems (CATS) on an route across
Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...
, linking the ports of
Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...
, and
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
. A high-speed ferry service between the two ports was discussed and spearheaded by local politicians and business leaders, primarily in
upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...
, beginning in the 1990s and continuing until the early 2000s. The city of Rochester built a ferry terminal in speculation of such a service being implemented.


2004 season

A group of investors formed a U.S. company named Canadian American Transportation Systems (CATS) which then entered into a contract to build ''Spirit of Ontario I'' with Austal in 2003. The vessel left
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
on February 17, 2004, crossing the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
and transiting the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...
, reaching
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
on April 1, 2004. The vessel's aluminum hull was slightly damaged while docking for a public relations event at the
South Street Seaport The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, centered where Fulton Street meets the East River, within the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. The Seaport is a designated historic district. It is p ...
, forcing Austal to perform emergency repairs before continuing on through the Gulf of St. Lawrence and
St. Lawrence Seaway The St. Lawrence Seaway () is a system of rivers, locks, canals and channels in Eastern Canada and Northern United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North America, as far inland ...
, arriving in Rochester on April 27, 2004. CATS promoted the new service, aiming to begin operations in early May 2004. As part of their promotional activities during the months leading up to ''Spirit of Ontario I'' arriving on Lake Ontario, CATS marketers created a competition for free boarding passes whereby members of the public could submit suggestions for the service's official "nickname". The winning entry was "The Breeze", but its registered name remained ''Spirit of Ontario I''. "The Breeze" was only used as a CATS marketing strategy and as a registered trademark for the service itself.


Troubles with start-up

The early May 2004 start-up of operations was not feasible for several reasons: *Hull repairs in New York City in April, pushing back the delivery date. *Unexpected engine repairs in May and early June 2004 after arriving on Lake Ontario. *A dispute over payment for Canadian customs services in Toronto. The federal government of Canada passed a law in the 1990s whereby any privately owned new border crossing point (such as a ferry service or private toll bridge) must pay for its customs services at no cost to Canadian taxpayers. *Ongoing construction of a ferry terminal in Toronto. A temporary terminal building and parking lot was rushed to completion for the spring startup of operations while construction of a permanent passenger terminal began. The accumulated delays pushed the start-up date for ''Spirit of Ontario I'' to June 17, 2004. In the meantime, ''
Lake Express Lake Express High-Speed Ferry is an American company that operates a seasonal ferry service across Lake Michigan between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Muskegon, Michigan. The Lake Express Milwaukee terminal and the company headquarters are located nea ...
'', a much smaller high-speed catamaran ferry, also built by Austal Ships (in
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
), went into service on
Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...
, laying claim to being the first high-speed car ferry service on the Great Lakes.


Troubles with operations

After operations began, ''Spirit of Ontario I'' performed reliably in daily service between Rochester and Toronto, making one or two round trips daily with a total crossing time of 2.5 hours including loading/discharging and customs/immigration clearance. The service initially had relatively low ridership due to the uncertainties over start-up earlier in the spring and from poor marketing and lack of highway signage in Toronto. These difficulties were overcome by early August 2004 and the vessel was carrying close to full capacity throughout this month. The service had reportedly carried over 100,000 passengers by September. CATS suspended the ''Spirit of Ontario I'' ferry service indefinitely on September 7, 2004 with the company citing financial problems related to initial delays in getting the vessel operational and missing its first service launch date in May. Contributing factors to the ferry company's financial difficulties were reported to be: *Slow progress by the Toronto Port Authority in constructing the permanent International Marine Passenger Terminal in Toronto. The delays in getting even temporary terminal facilities built in Toronto during the spring of 2004 was another reason for forcing a delay in starting the service until mid-June. *CATS felt that it was being charged excessive Canadian customs and immigration costs. U.S. port of entry services were being provided in Rochester at no cost to CATS whereas Canadian port of entry services had to be completely covered by the company, resulting in a hidden charge on each ticket price. *CATS blamed U.S. customs for not giving approval for the ''Spirit of Ontario I'' to carry freight trucks and express cargo, claiming that this altered the original business plan. *CATS endured criticism from both nations for a decision to have ''Spirit of Ontario I'' registered under the flag of
Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
, a
flag of convenience Flag of convenience (FOC) refers to a business practice whereby a ship's owners Ship registration, register a Merchant vessel, merchant ship in a ship register of a country other than that of the ship's owners, and the ship flies the civil ens ...
nation, allegedly for taxation purposes. CATS was able to do this since the vessel was operating in an international service; additionally, since ''Spirit of Ontario I'' was a foreign-built vessel, CATS would have had to pay significant penalties were it to register the vessel in either Canada or the U.S. (particularly the U.S., given the domestic-content restrictions of the Jones Act). *Because of the foreign flag registry for ''Spirit of Ontario I'', CATS was required to pay for
pilotage Piloting or pilotage is the process of navigating on water or in the air using fixed points of reference on the sea or on land, usually with reference to a nautical chart or aeronautical chart to obtain a fix of the position of the vessel or air ...
services on every crossing (approx. $6000 per crossing). Canadian and U.S. registered vessels are exempt from requiring the services of pilots while navigating on the
Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...
. CATS declared bankruptcy in the fall of 2004 and ''Spirit of Ontario I'' was seized by the
United States Marshals Service The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the United States federal judi ...
for resale to pay creditors. The vessel remained tied up at the Rochester ferry terminal throughout the fall and winter of 2004–2005.


2005 service resumption

Toronto's permanent terminal for use by passenger/vehicle ferries and passenger cruise ships was completed in early 2005. The facility is located adjacent to the now-dismantled temporary terminal at the Cherry Street slip in Toronto's inner harbour. The Cherry Street slip location has proven to be controversial among Torontonians as it is located in a former industrial area approximately southeast of the downtown core and has no convenient
public transit Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of wh ...
connections for pedestrians. On February 28, 2005, US Marshals conducted a bankruptcy auction in Rochester for ''Spirit of Ontario I''; the winning bidder was the "Rochester Ferry Company LLC", a subsidiary of the city of Rochester with a reported bid of US$32 million. Rochester Ferry Company LLC was successful in financing this bid through a loan from the Australian federal government. Rochester Ferry Company LLC announced in April 2005 that
Northumberland Ferries Limited Northumberland Ferries Limited (NFL) is a ferry company operating in eastern Canada and headquartered in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. NFL is also the owner of subsidiary Bay Ferries Limited (which used to include the Bay Ferries Great L ...
(NFL), the parent company of Bay Ferries Limited, was selected to manage and operate the ferry service and vessel. NFL formed
Bay Ferries Great Lakes Bay Ferries Great Lakes was a marketing name used by Bay Ferries Management Limited, a subsidiary of Northumberland Ferries Limited (NFL). History In February 2005 Rochester Ferry Company LLC, a subsidiary of the City of Rochester, New York p ...
(BFGL) to operate the service. Rochester Ferry Company LLC also committed to reflagging ''Spirit of Ontario I'' from the
Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, in order to avoid paying the expensive pilotage fees accorded to non-US or Canadian registered vessels on the Great Lakes. In December 2005 the vessel was still Bahamian flagged, pending the completion of training of an all-US crew; such training was anticipated to be completed within the next few months. BFGL and Rochester Ferry Company LLC agreed upon two major projects relating to starting service with ''Spirit of Ontario I'' by June 17, 2005, namely: *The bankruptcy by CATS, the vessel's first owners, voided any warranty on the MTU engines. Rochester Ferry Company LLC, using its Australian-backed financing, came to an agreement with MTU in April 2005 which saw the ferry company pay US$1.3 million to MTU in order to keep the vessel's propulsion systems under warranty. *The vessel required a hull inspection, re-painting (to remove the old CATS logo and "The Breeze" marketing name), and minor repairs. The vessel sailed to Lake Ontario's only remaining
shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...
(the Port Weller Dry Dock) in
St. Catharines, Ontario St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...
in early May 2005. While in
dry dock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
, a problem was discovered with the propulsion system, requiring modifications to
software Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications. The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...
. MTU also began conducting warranty repair and maintenance work on the vessel's engines. The vessel was repainted with new logos featuring
Bay Ferries Great Lakes Bay Ferries Great Lakes was a marketing name used by Bay Ferries Management Limited, a subsidiary of Northumberland Ferries Limited (NFL). History In February 2005 Rochester Ferry Company LLC, a subsidiary of the City of Rochester, New York p ...
, as well as a new marketing name for the Rochester-Toronto high-speed ferry service; "The Cat" is the same marketing name as used by BFGL's sister company Bay Ferries on the
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Yarmouth is a port town located on the Bay of Fundy in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. Yarmouth is the shire town of Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, Yarmouth County and is the largest population centre in the region. History Originally inhab ...
to
Bar Harbor, Maine Bar Harbor () is a resort town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population is 5,089. The town is home to the College of the Atlantic, Jackson Laboratory, and MDI Biological Laborat ...
high-speed ferry service since 1998. Upon returning to Rochester, BFGL began hiring employees and performing crew training and emergency drills. Several test crossings were conducted between Rochester and Toronto during early June 2005. High-speed ferry service between Rochester and Toronto was restarted on June 30, 2005, 13 days late. The ferry service was scheduled to run year-round; however, on December 8, 2005, BFGL announced that it would suspend service for the winter on December 12, 2005, and attempt to charter the vessel for ferry service in the
Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
during the winter.


2006 funding cut

On January 10, 2006, newly elected mayor of Rochester Robert Duffy announced that the city government would not be approving the ferry board's request for additional funding for the city's subsidiary Rochester Ferry Company LLC so that the service could resume in the summer. This effectively killed any hope that ''Spirit of Ontario I'' would return to its Lake Ontario operation. The city of Rochester owed BFGL $2.5 million in a revenue guarantee and the vessel should be sold. It was initially thought that Bay Ferries Great Lakes would consider acquiring ''Spirit of Ontario I'' as the company was given the first option on the vessel, should it ever be sold by Rochester Ferry Company LLC. However, BFGL did not exercise their option, and the City of Rochester began the process of closing down Rochester Ferry Company LLC by listing the vessel with international marine brokerage services.


Vessel for sale

On May 2, 2006, the city corporation announced that a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
company named Euroferries Limited was purchasing the vessel for use on a cross-
channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Australia in Queensland and pa ...
service. The selling price of $29.8 million was short of the $32 million the city had asked for, however, it was the highest of seven bids. Financing of the purchase was expected to be completed by the end of the summer however terms of the agreement were still being discussed by December 2006 and it appeared that the vessel would be captive on Lake Ontario when the St. Lawrence Seaway closed for the winter at the end of the month. The Rochester Ferry Company LLC made the decision to move the ferry to the ice-free port of Shelburne,
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...
(which had cheaper docking fees than Rochester) until the sale could be finalized, rather than leaving it in Rochester. The vessel's departure was quickly scheduled for the night of Thursday, December 21. A crowd gathered to bid farewell, and Mayor Duffy made a brief statement. The ferry left the Port of Rochester for good at about 6:45 PM, horn blaring. The vessel arrived at a shipyard in Halifax, Nova Scotia on December 26. Following repairs and inspections, ''Spirit of Ontario I'' continued to Shelburne in February 2007 where the vessel was docked pending sale negotiations.


European routes

The vessel was sold in April 2007 to the German company
Förde Reederei Seetouristik FRS GmbH & Co KG (formerly ''Förde Reederei Seetouristik'', also operating internationally as ''Fast Reliable Seaways''), commonly known as FRS, is a German transportation company specializing in passenger ferry and freight transportation. It o ...
(FRC) for its ferry service between Tarifa, Spain and Tangiers, Morocco. The vessel was renamed ''Tanger Jet II''. In July 2012, the ship entered traffic between
Kalundborg Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,659 (1 January 2025),Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...
in
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
for Kattegatruten, and was renamed ''Dolphin Jet''. After only 24 days of service, the vessel was laid up in Aarhus. After the route was cancelled in October 2013, the vessel was sold to Venezuelan Conferry and renamed to ''Virgen de Coromoto''.


Venezuela

Conferry used the ''Virgen de Coromoto'' for ferry service to
Margarita A margarita is a cocktail consisting of tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. Some margarita recipes include simple syrup as well and are often served with salt on the rim of the glass. Margaritas can be served either shaken with ice (on the rock ...
. The company failed to maintain the ship, and by mid-2015 it had broken down. In 2017 the Venezuelan government attempted to sell the ferry through the broker Unlimited Maritime Solutions, but failed to reach an agreement with any potential buyers. After this, the ship was towed to
Puerto Cabello Puerto Cabello () is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State, about 210 km west of Caracas. As of 2011, the city had a population of around 182,400. The city is home to the largest and busiest port in the count ...
for repairs, where it remained as of 2019.


Citations


References

*


External links


Official FRS WebsiteNorthumberland Ferries Limited (and its subsidiaries: Bay Ferries Limited and Bay Ferries Great Lakes Limited)Austal Ships - Auto Express 86 - ''Spirit of Ontario I'' specificationsSale of ShipEuroferries LimitedFRS Maroc official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Virgen de Coromoto 2003 ships Ferries of Spain Ferries of Morocco Ferries of Venezuela History of Rochester, New York High-speed craft Individual catamarans Ships built by Austal