MV ''Atlantic Vision'' is a fast
ro-pax
Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...
ferry owned by the
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and t ...
n
ferry company
Tallink
Tallink () is an Estonian shipping company operating Baltic Sea cruiseferries and ropax ships from Estonia to Finland, Estonia to Sweden to Sweden and Finland to Sweden. It is the largest passenger and cargo shipping company in the Baltic Sea ...
, under charter to
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
operator
Marine Atlantic
Marine Atlantic Inc. (french: Marine Atlantique) is an independent Canadian federal Crown corporation which is mandated to operate ferry services between the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.
Marine Atlantic's corporate hea ...
. In February 2015, Marine Atlantic announced that the lease on the vessel had been renewed until November 2017 for a cost of
Can$
The Canadian dollar (symbol: $; code: CAD; french: dollar canadien) is the currency of Canada. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, there is no standard disambiguating form, but the abbreviation Can$ is often suggested by notable style ...
40 million. It was subsequently extended again, and the vessel is under Marine Atlantic control through November 2019. As of 2016 to 2023 ''Atlantic Vision'' operates on Marine Atlantic's services between
North Sydney,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native En ...
, and the
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
ports of
Channel-Port aux Basques
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 Newfoun ...
and
Argentia
Argentia ( ) is a Canadian commercial seaport and industrial park located in the Town of Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on the southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula and defined by a triangular shaped headland which r ...
, Placentia.
The ship was built in 2002 as MS ''Superfast IX'' by
Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in
Kiel
Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).
Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland pe ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
for
Attica Group
Attica Holdings S.A. is an operator of international ferry services in Europe. The Group's operations include its subsidiaries Superfast Ferries, which began in 1995 with the launch of its first ships, Superfast I & Superfast II, and Blue Star Fe ...
's subsidiary
Superfast Ferries
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 3 car-passenger ferries, offering daily connections between Anc ...
.
She is currently 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
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used b ...
government to operate a ferry connection between
Södertälje
Södertälje ( , ) is a city in Södermanland and Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. As of 2017, it has 72,704 inhabitants. Södertälje is located at Mälarens confluence in to the Baltic Sea through the lock in ...
in Sweden and Rostock for ten years, starting from spring 2002. ''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 , started
a new service for Superfast, connecting
Rosyth
Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440.
The new town was founded as a Garden city-style subur ...
(
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
) to
Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge (, from: ''Brugge aan zee'' meaning "Bruges at Sea", french: Zeebruges) is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zee ...
(
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
). In February 2004 she was rebuilt with extra cabins at
Fosen Mekaniske Verksteder
Fosen is a traditional district in Trøndelag, consisting of the municipalities Osen, Roan Åfjord, Ørland, Indre Fosen, Orkland, Heim, Hitra and Frøya. The district is dominated by forested valleys, lakes, coastal cliffs but also shallow are ...
,
Fosen
Fosen is a traditional district in Trøndelag, consisting of the municipalities Osen, Roan Åfjord, Ørland, Indre Fosen, Orkland, Heim, Hitra and Frøya. The district is dominated by forested valleys, lakes, coastal cliffs but also shallow ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. In November 2005 ''Superfast IX'' was moved to
Hanko Hanko may refer to
People
* August Hanko, German First World War flying ace
Places
*Hanko, Finland, town and municipality
*Hanko Peninsula, Finland
* Hankø, an island in the Oslo Fjord in Norway
*The asteroid 2299 Hanko
*Hanko, a misspellin ...
—Rostock route.
2006–2008: Tallink service
In March 2006 Superfast sold their Baltic Sea operations to Tallink for
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...
310 million. Following this ''Superfast IX'' and her sisters were re-registered to
Paldiski
Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the Pakri Peninsula of northwestern Estonia. Since 2017, it's the administrative centre of Lääne-Harju Parish of Harju County. Previously a village of Estonia-Swedes known by the historical ...
in
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and t ...
, and the route changed to Hanko—Paldiski—Rostock from April 2006 onwards.
Calling at Paldiski proved problematic as Estonia was not a member of the
Schengen Treaty
The Schengen Agreement ( , ) is a treaty which led to the creation of Europe's Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished. It was signed on 14 June 1985, near the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, by five of the te ...
, and in June of the same year the route reverted to Hanko—Rostock.
According to the agreement Tallink could keep the Superfast marketing name until the end of 2007, 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.
At the same time all remaining Superfast logos and hull markings were removed.
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
Silja Line is a Swedish-Finnish cruiseferry brand operated by the Estonian ferry company Tallink, AS Tallink Grupp, for car, cargo and passenger traffic between Finland and Sweden.
The former company Silja Oy—today Tallink Silja osakeyhtiö, O ...
, but this did not came to pass.
2008-2023: Marine Atlantic service
In April 2008 Tallink made an agreement for chartering ''Superfast IX'' to
Marine Atlantic
Marine Atlantic Inc. (french: Marine Atlantique) is an independent Canadian federal Crown corporation which is mandated to operate ferry services between the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.
Marine Atlantic's corporate hea ...
, a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
Crown Corporation, for five years from October 2008 onwards. The
Government of Canada
The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-i ...
was to provide Marine Atlantic with $101 million over five years to fund the charter. The ship was to be used by Marine Atlantic on their service between
Port aux Basques
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 Newfoun ...
,
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
and
North Sydney, Nova Scotia
North Sydney (Scottish Gaelic: ''Suidni A Tuath'' or ''Am BÃ r'') is a former town and current community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
Located on the north side of Sydney Harbour, along the eastern coast of Cape Breto ...
. A naming competition was held for the ship, with students in Newfoundland and Labrador and in
Cape Breton
Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada.
The island accounts for 18 ...
eligible to make entries. On 21 June 2008 the results of the competition were published, and ''Atlantic Vision'' was chosen as the new name for the vessel.
''Superfast IX'' ceased service with Tallink on 31 August 2008 and subsequently sailed to
Turku Repair Yard
sv, Ã…bo Reparationsvarv Ab
, native_name_lang =
, romanized_name =
, former_name =
, type =
, traded_as =
, ISIN =
, industry = ship and boat repair and maintenance
, genre =
, fate =
, predecessor = Wärtsilä Marine
, succe ...
in
Naantali
Naantali (; sv, NÃ¥dendal) is a town in southwestern Finland, and, as a resort town during the summer, an important tourist centre of the country. The municipality has a population of
(), and is located in the region of Southwest Finland, west ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...
for reconstruction into her new service.
The changes made included the installation of more powerful bow thrusters, rebuilding the bow and stern ramps, and refurbishing the interiors. The ship was renamed MV ''Atlantic Vision'' in November 2008.
The reconstruction was completed on 14 November 2008, and on the same date the ship was officially delivered to Marine Atlantic.
''Atlantic Vision'' arrived in St. John's, Newfoundland on 7 December 2008.
A renaming ceremony was held for the ship on 11 December 2008, although she had officially been renamed already during the previous month.
''Atlantic Vision'' entered service on the Port-aux-Basques—North Sydney route on 1 April 2009. During the summer months, ''Atlantic Visions main purpose is to operate the route between North Sydney and
Argentia, Newfoundland and Labrador
Argentia ( ) is a Canadian commercial seaport and industrial park located in the Town of Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on the southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula and defined by a triangular shaped headland which r ...
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.
''Atlantic Vision'' was again forced to dock when a fire broke out in the second of two heating units on 29 July 2009. 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.
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
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...
(RCMP), but the threat was determined to be a hoax, and she returned to service shortly thereafter.
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. ''Atlantic Vision'' was repaired and returned to service late on 23 December 2009.
Gallery
Image:MV_Atlantic_Vision_Onboard.JPG, Outer deck
File:NL Ferry1 tango7174.jpg, Outer deck
File:NL Ferry2 tango7174.jpg, Main lounge
File:NL Ferry3 tango7174.jpg, Aisle to restaurant
Image:MV_Atlantic_Vision_Restaurant.JPG, Restaurant
Image:MV_Atlantic_Vision_Cabin.JPG, 4-berth Cabin
References
External links
Marine Atlantic official website for MV ''Atlantic Vision''Tallink Silja official website for Tallink Superfast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlantic Vision
Ferries of Newfoundland and Labrador
Ferries of Nova Scotia
Marine Atlantic
Ships built in Kiel
2000 ships
Superfast VII-class fast ropax ferries