Ferry News Archive
Troubled high-speed ferry finally sold
Date: 01 Apr 2007 00:00 Source: abcA 55-mph ferry that zipped across Lake Ontario between Rochester and Toronto for eight months but spent much of its three years tied up in port may have found a new home in the Mediterranean Sea.
The city of Rochester said Monday it is selling the car-and-passenger catamaran to FRS, a German ferry operator, for $30 million. The sale, secured by a $3 million down payment, should be completed by the end of April, and the ship will ply the Mediterranean between Spain and Morocco, Mayor Robert Duffy said.
'We are getting a fair price and FRS is getting a great vessel, one that's in pristine condition,' he said in an interview.
The Spirit of Ontario, built in 2003 in Australia for $42.5 million, operated for 11 weeks in 2004 before getting tangled up in debt. The city bought it at auction in February 2005 for $32 million but quickly ran up more than $10 million in startup and operating costs. The project shut down service after just five months.
Duffy, the city's former police chief, put the ferry up for sale when he became mayor in January 2006. Last spring, he announced that Britain's Euroferries Ltd. had agreed to buy it for $29.8 million. But that deal unraveled 10 months later and he went looking for new bidders.
'The idea of having a ferry service certainly has merit,' Duffy said. 'I think the question is, can a government sustain a project like this financially? And the answer's no. At least not here. It was an incredibly complex decision with so many financial pitfalls and land mines along the way that there was no doubt that when I came into office ... that this was not a project the city could sustain.'
The ferry has been docked in Nova Scotia, Canada, since December, and the city still carries a $20 million debt to be paid back over 15 years.
Civic boosters hoped the 284-foot-long, five-story-tall vessel, which can load 774 passengers and 220 cars, would prop up tourism on both sides of Lake Ontario and ease traffic tie-ups along the Golden Horseshoe, the densely populated region along the lake's western shore.
The 171-mile road trip to Toronto usually takes three to four hours, and far longer when there are backups at the border near Niagara Falls. The ship got there in two hours, 30 minutes.
More Ferry News from directferries.co.uk
Date: 18 May 2012 Source: Brittany Ferries
Travel to France this Summer with Brittany Ferries by car with an additional passenger from just £175 return or from £87.50 return if you travel by motorbike (rider and pillion).
Date: 14 May 2012 Source: Grandi Navi Veloci
Italian ferry giant Grandi Navi Veloci have opened 2 new services connecting France with Morocco.
Date: 08 May 2012 Source: Brittany Ferries
Spend up to 2 days in France from just £99 return when you travel with Brittany Ferries by car and take an additional passenger or from £49.50 if you travel by motorbike (rider and pillion).
Date: 05 May 2012 Source: Corsica Sardinia Ferries
If you're planning on travelling to Corsica, Sardinia or Elba this Summer with Corsica Sardinia Ferries then take a look at our new ship guides and find out what it's like onboard before you travel!
Date: 01 May 2012 Source: DFDS Seaways
Take your car by ferry to France with DFDS Seaways from Dover to Dunkirk or Calais from just £19 return.
Date: 01 May 2012 Source: P&O Ferries
Spend up to 5 days abroad and pay just £49 return when you travel from Dover to Calais with P&O Ferries.
Date: 30 April 2012 Source: Toremar
Italian ferry operator Toremar is now available to be booked online across the direct ferries network.
Date: 25 April 2012 Source: P&O Irish Sea
Take your car on the ferry between Scotland and Northern Ireland with P&O Ferries and take a second passenger for FREE – a saving of up to £50 on a return crossing!
Date: 18 April 2012 Source: Stena Line
Take your car on any ferry to Northern Ireland or Ireland with Stena Line and take a second passenger for FREE – a saving of up to £50 on a return crossing!
Date: 16 April 2012 Source: Irish Ferries
You can now save up to 30% when you take the ferry to Ireland between Monday and Thursday in April and May with Irish Ferries.