New Kingston-area ferries arrive in Canada
Quebec City – The two new ferries bound for the Kingston area arrived in Canada on the weekend. The heavy load carrier Super Servant 4 arrived in Quebec City on Sunday from Icdas, Turkey, carrying the Amherst Islander II and the Wolfe Islander IV.
The new, all-electric ferries are to be offloaded there and sail up the St. Lawrence River to the Kingston area. It will be several months before the new ferries begin transporting passengers and vehicles along the routes, according to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.
“The new Wolfe Islander IV ferry is expected to arrive in Kingston mid-October 2021,” MTO spokesperson Lori Alarie wrote in an email to the Whig-Standard earlier this month.
“The in-service date for both the Wolfe Islander IV and Amherst Islander II is estimated to be spring 2022,” Alarie added. “This is subject to change as it depends on obtaining the required Transport Canada approvals and completion of a comprehensive crew training period.”
Once offloaded in Quebec City, both ferries are to undergo Transport Canada vessel registration before being started up and making their way separately upriver to Kingston under their own power. It should take about a week for this process.
The new 399-passenger, 75-vehicle Wolfe Islander IV is to join the existing ferry on the route between Kingston and Marysville. The provincial government is spending $145 million to rebuild and expand terminals.
Ferries transport about 900,000 passengers and 400,000 vehicles between Wolfe Island and Kingston each year.
The new 294-passenger, 55-vehicle Amherst Islander II is to join the Frontenac II on the route between Millhaven and Stella. Terminals are being rebuilt at a cost of $52 million.
“MTO is working closely with Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation on the installation of the energy on-shore infrastructure,” Alarie said. “This is necessary to allow for consistent and efficient electric operation of the new vessels and is anticipated to be operational following the completion of the docks construction. Until this takes place, the vessels are equipped to operate in a hybrid-electric mode.”
Whig Standard
Bay City’s 2022 Tall Ship Celebration postponed to 2025 over Covid uncertainty
Bay City, MI – Bay City’s Tall Ship Celebration scheduled to take place in July 2022 has been postponed until the summer of 2025 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tall Ship Celebration normally takes place every three years and brings tens of thousands of visitors to the shores of the Saginaw River
Chris Yaklin, executive director at BaySail Appledore Tall Ships, and the BaySail Board of Directors announced their decision in a press release issued Wednesday, Sept. 22
“Preparations for an international maritime festival begin roughly 18 months in advance. Given the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic as we entered 2021, the Board of Directors and I made the decision to postpone the festival to 2025,” Yaklin said in a statement. “As an organization we believe that postponing the event will give our team of nearly 500 volunteers the necessary time and resources to safely produce another award-winning maritime celebration.
Yaklin said the uncertainty the pandemic has caused, international travel bans and funding were among the considerations
“BaySail felt that it might be a good time to postpone and come back with a revamped and new event for 2025,” Yaklin’s statement continued. “BaySail will be a willing participant at other ports around the Great Lakes to help assist ports with their festivals.”
Tall Ship Celebration organizers said they look forward to welcoming the world back to the Great Lakes Bay Region for a “reimagined Tall Ship Celebration” in 2025.
