MV Northern Adventure

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

M/V Northern Adventure
Shipbuilder: Atsalakis Yards, Perama, Greece
Launched: June 2004
Delivered: 26 July 2004 to Tomasos Transporto & Tourism (TTT Lines), Naples, Italy.
Previous names: M/V Sonia, Adamantios Korais (during construction)
Status: In service
General characteristics
Displacement: 9,925 gross register tons (GRT)
Length: 117 m
Beam: 20.0 m
Draft: 4.7 m
Propulsion: Två MaK 16M32C diesel 16000 kW Engine
Speed: 20.3 knots
Passengers: 600+
Staterooms: 74
Car capacity: 101

M/V Northern Adventure is a RORO ferry operated by BC Ferries along the scenic Inside Passage route between Port Hardy and Prince Rupert, British Columbia. It replaced the Queen of the North, which sank in March 2006.

Contents

[edit] History

Construction on the ship began in Greece in 2001. Due to unspecified delays during construction of the hull, work was delayed, and construction was not completed until June 2004. The ship was first chartered by the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago to run the route between Port of Spain, Trinidad, and Scarborough, Tobago. Ship operations were managed by International Shipping Partners. The ferry then operated out of Barcelona before being purchased by BC Ferries in a deal worth €35.7 million, or $50.6 million CAD. The ship was painted in BC Ferries livery and sailed from Greece to Victoria, BC via the Panama Canal. The vessel arrived at the Victoria shipyards on December 18, 2006, where it underwent an $18-million refit and interior upgrade that finished in March 2007.

[edit] Controversy

The Northern Adventure's maiden voyage was on March 31, 2007, leaving Port Hardy for Prince Rupert three hours late. According to news reports quoting Mark Stefanson, executive director of public affairs, the delay was “due to the crew checking things out.” After a short ribbon-cutting ceremony, 144 passengers and 39 vehicles boarded, only to be told the departure was delayed. Some passengers were disappointed that not all the staterooms were ready, and had to sleep sitting up or on the floor. However, many seemed to be impressed with the vessel.[1]

The vessel had further troubles less than a week later when the April 6, 2007 departure from Prince Rupert was delayed more than 30 hours. Problems included a dry chemical leak from a fire extinguisher which set off fire alarms, a grey water tank overflow, sending water into the galley, and a faulty public address system. [2]

The use of non-union GMI labour (in contravention of the LIUNA collective agreement) in the Victoria Shipyards refit is currently a matter of arbitration.[citation needed]

There was also some controversy over the name of the ship - some believed that BC Ferries should have named the ship after the community of Hartley Bay, British Columbia,[citation needed] whose residents helped the passengers of the Queen of the North after the sinking.

[edit] Future

In 2009, the Northern Adventure will be joined by the Northern Expedition. At this time, the Queen of Prince Rupert will be decommissioned, and the Northern Adventure will take over its route, from Prince Rupert to Skidegate on the Queen Charlotte Islands.

[edit] External links