MV Atlantic Freighter, now known as Pelagitis is a roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferry formerly operated by Marine Atlantic

Marine Atlantic

Marine Atlantic Inc. is an independent Canadian Crown corporation offering ferry services between the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.Marine Atlantic's corporate headquarters are in St...

 ferry service. The vessel was completed in 1978 by Hyundai Shipbuilding Company Limited

Hyundai Heavy Industries

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. is the world's largest shipbuilding company, headquartered in Ulsan, South Korea. The company is a subsidiary of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group...

 in and delivered to the Stena Line

Stena Line

Stena Line is one of the world's largest ferry operators, with ferry services serving Scotland, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Norway, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. Stena Line is a major unit of Stena AB, itself a part of the Stena Sphere, a grouping of Stena AB,...

 which operates in Northern Europe. She was sold on 12 March 2010 and given her current name Pelagitis.

Throughout her career, the vessel sailed under the names, Merzario Grecia, Stena Grecia, and Tor Felicia.

Operation

Loading and unloading the vessel each take over three hours. Eight trailers are loaded at one time using a "yard tractor train system". The vessel represented 19.6 percent of Marine Atlantic's fleet in 2005.

Asbestos risk

In 1990 asbestos

Asbestos

Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...

 was found in use on the vessel. Management made the decision to encapsulate the asbestos. In November 2007, 60 workers on Atlantic Freighter were told they should be tested for asbestos exposure.

Gulf War service

Atlantic Freighter was chartered by the United States Military Sealift Command in December 1990, and served two supply missions to the Persian Gulf during the Gulf War

Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

. The vessel was captained by Neil Hillier, and crewed by 25 volunteers. Fisheries and Oceans Minister, Fred Mifflin

Fred Mifflin

Fred J. Mifflin, PC, CD is a retired Rear Admiral in the Canadian Forces and a former politician.After retiring from 32 years of service in the Royal Canadian Navy, Mifflin entered politics and was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1988 election...

 was credited with five years of efforts to secure the right for the crew to wear the United States Merchant Marine Expeditionary Award.