Tanger Jet II
Encyclopedia
The HSC Tanger Jet II is a 86m fast catamaran
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
operated by Förde Reederei Seetouristik (FRS)
Förde Reederei Seetouristik
-Conventional passenger ferries:* MS Hansestadt Stralsund * MS Insel Hiddensee * MS Gellen * MS Schaprode * MS Altefähr * MS Atlantis -Double End Carferries:...
Maroc SARL.
Operator
FRSFörde Reederei Seetouristik
-Conventional passenger ferries:* MS Hansestadt Stralsund * MS Insel Hiddensee * MS Gellen * MS Schaprode * MS Altefähr * MS Atlantis -Double End Carferries:...
Maroc SARL.
The FRS
Förde Reederei Seetouristik
-Conventional passenger ferries:* MS Hansestadt Stralsund * MS Insel Hiddensee * MS Gellen * MS Schaprode * MS Altefähr * MS Atlantis -Double End Carferries:...
-service between Morocco and Continental Europe has been initiated back in 2000 on a year-round basis.
Vessel specifications
HSC Tanger Jet II was built in 2004 at the Austal Ships in PerthPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
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 45 knots (88.2 km/h).
900 passengers and 238 car-equivalents (or a maximum of 10 trucks and 150 cars) can be accommodated onboard. In 2007 FRS
Förde Reederei Seetouristik
-Conventional passenger ferries:* MS Hansestadt Stralsund * MS Insel Hiddensee * MS Gellen * MS Schaprode * MS Altefähr * MS Atlantis -Double End Carferries:...
acquired the vessel for its Spain-Morocco service.
History of Rochester-Toronto ferry service
Canadian American Transportation Systems
Canadian American Transportation Systems, or "CATS", was a company based in Rochester, New York which initiated a passenger/vehicle ferry service on Lake Ontario, connecting Rochester with Toronto....
(CATS) on an 82 nautical mile (94 miles/152 km) route across Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
, linking the ports of Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
A high speed ferry service between the two ports was discussed and spearheaded by local politicians and business leaders, primarily in upstate New York, 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 SystemsCanadian American Transportation Systems
Canadian American Transportation Systems, or "CATS", was a company based in Rochester, New York which initiated a passenger/vehicle ferry service on Lake Ontario, connecting Rochester with Toronto....
(CATS) which then entered into a contract to build Spirit of Ontario I with Austal Ships in 2003.
The vessel left Perth on February 17, 2004, crossing the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and transiting the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
, reaching New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on April 1, 2004. The vessel's aluminum hull was slightly damaged while docking for a public relations event at the South Street Seaport
South Street Seaport
The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located where Fulton Street meets the East River, and adjacent to the Financial District. The Seaport is a designated historic district, distinct from the neighboring Financial District...
, forcing Austal to perform emergency repairs before continuing on through the Gulf of St. Lawrence and St. Lawrence Seaway, 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" and many people assume this was the name of the vessel, however its registered name remained Spirit of Ontario I and "The Breeze" was only a CATS marketing strategy and registered trademark for the service itself.
Troubles with start-up
Unfortunately, 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.
Lake Express
Lake Express is a high-speed auto and passenger ferry that is in service on a route across Lake Michigan. Lake Express links the cities of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Muskegon, Michigan from late spring to the fall of each year.- Background :...
, a much smaller high speed catamaran ferry, also built by Austal Ships (in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
), went into service on Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
, 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 AuthorityToronto Port AuthorityThe Toronto Port Authority is a Canadian port authority responsible for management of the harbour of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, including the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport...
in constructing a permanent ferry 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, a flag of convenienceFlag of convenienceThe term flag of convenience describes the business practice of registering a merchant ship in a sovereign state different from that of the ship's owners, and flying that state's civil ensign on the ship. Ships are registered under flags of convenience to reduce operating costs or avoid the...
nation, allegedly for taxation purposes. CATS was able to do this since the vessel was operating in an international service; additionally, since the 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 flagFlag StateThe flag state of a commercial vessel is the state under whose laws the vessel is registered or licensed.The flag state has the authority and responsibility to enforce regulations over vessels registered under its flag, including those relating to inspection, certification, and issuance of safety...
registry for Spirit of Ontario I, CATS was required to pay for pilotagePilotagePilotage is the use of fixed visual references on the ground or sea by means of sight or radar to guide oneself to a destination, sometimes with the help of a map or nautical chart. People use pilotage for activities such as guiding vessels and aircraft, hiking and Scuba diving...
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 LakesGreat LakesThe Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
.
CATS declared bankruptcy in the fall of 2004 and Spirit of Ontario I was arrested by the United States Marshals Service
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
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 6km (2.5 miles) southeast of the downtown core and has no convenient public transitToronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
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 $32 million (USD). Rochester Fast 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
Northumberland Ferries Limited is a ferry company operating in eastern Canada and headquartered in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island...
, the parent company of Bay Ferries Limited, was selected to manage and operate the ferry service and vessel. NFL formed Bay Ferries Great Lakes Limited (BFGL) to operate the service. Rochester Ferry Company LLC also committed to reflagging Spirit of Ontario I from the Bahamas to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in order to avoid paying the expensive pilotage fees accorded to non-US or Canadian registered vessels on the Great Lakes. , 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. http://www.10nbc.com/index.asp?template=item&story_id=15739
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 vessel's 4 main engines built using an experimental design by MTU FriedrichshafenMTU FriedrichshafenMTU Friedrichshafen GmbH is a manufacturer of commercial internal combustion engines founded by Wilhelm Maybach and his son Karl Maybach in 1909...
have proven to be troublesome, mostly since they were intended to be run for approximately 3 hours, before being idled - roughly the time-frame for what a one-way trip across Lake Ontario would take. However, in order to deliver the vessel from Perth, Australia to Rochester, New York, the engines were run continuously for many days, resulting in several problems with gaskets leaking and manifolds aging prematurely. Unfortunately, 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 $1.3 million (USD) 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 shipyardShipyardShipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
(the Port Weller Dry Dock) in St. Catharines, OntarioSt. Catharines, OntarioSt. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...
in early May. While in dry dockDry dockA drydock 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...
, a problem was discovered with the propulsion system, requiring modifications to software. MTU also began conducting warranty repair and maintenance work on the vessel's engines.
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Yarmouth is a town and fishing port located on the Gulf of Maine in rural southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Yarmouth County. The town is located in the heart of the world's largest lobster fishing grounds and has Canada's highest lobster catch.- History :The townsite may...
to Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population is 5,235. Bar Harbor is a famous summer colony in the Down East region of Maine. It is home to the College of the Atlantic, Jackson Laboratory and Mount Desert Island...
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 be suspending service for the winter on December 12, 2005 and attempt to charter the vessel for ferry service in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
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 has effectively killed any hope that Spirit of Ontario I will return to its Lake Ontario operation. The city of Rochester owes BFGL $2.5 million in a revenue guarantee and the vessel will likely be sold.It was initially thought that Bay Ferries Great Lakes would consider acquiring Spirit of Ontario I as the company was given 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 BritishGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
company named Euroferries Limited was purchasing the vessel for use on a cross-channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
service. The selling price of $29.8 million was short of the $32 million the city had been asking for, however it was the highest of 7 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
Shelburne, Nova Scotia
Shelburne is a town located in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Shelburne County.-History:-Settlers:...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
(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.