HIGHLANDER

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Ferry assisted distressed yacht

The "Highlanders" responded to a distressed sailboat off the coast of Cape Breton on Sep 24, 2018. The skipper had issued an emergency signal at 2.15 p.m. The "Highlanders" had set sail at 11:45 a.m. from Sydney, N.S., and was on its way to Port aux Basques, when the captain of the ferry got a call from the Coastguard about a sailboat in distress about 20 nautical miles north of Sydney. The ferry then shifted course to assist the yacht which had its engine disabled and suffered a hole in the hull just above the water line. At 5:15 p.m. the Canadian Coastguard ship "Spindrift" was able to reach the sailboat and successfully tow it to Sydney. The skipper had refused to leave the struggling vessel. A Cormorant helicopter flew out, but the skipper insisted on staying aboard his boat. The Cormorant landed in Sydney in case the man changed his mind or the state of the sea forced an emergency evacuation. Waves in the area were about three metres high. Report with photos: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/sailboat-rescue-1.4836238

Ferry stranded in ice

The "Highlanders" that became stuck in thick ice off Cape Breton on Apr 4, 2017, has been freed by the "Blue Puttees" which left Port aux Basques, N.L., to try to cut a path for the "Highlanders" to get out into open water. In the evening the "Blue Puttees" reached the stranded ferry with 209 passengers onboard along with 85 commercial trucks and 65 vehicles which had got stuck after leaving North Sydney, N.S., for Newfoundland. Ice conditions suddenly became worse as winds blew toward the coast.

Marine Atlantic bought ferries from Stena Line

Marine Atlantic announced on May 26, 2015, that it has purchased both the "Blue Puttees" and "Highlanders" which have been providing ferry service between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia since 2011. The vessel purchase was part of a $375-million investment into Marine Atlantic that was announced last month by the federal government. The purchase, at a cost of $100 million per vessel, would allow the Crown corporation to solidify its fleet for the future. The remaining money was to be used to cover the operating subsidy, and for other capital projects. Both vessels have been chartered from Stena for the past four years, serving the Port aux Basques-North Sydney route. The original deal in 2010 was for a five-year charter, with the option to extend for another five years, or purchase the vessels outright. In early February, Marine Atlantic announced it had renewed the lease for the "Atlantic Vision" until November 2017, at a cost of some $40 million. The actual announcement builds upon a previous five-year, $521-million funding commitment announced in 2010 aimed at renewing Marine Atlantic's fleet, and upgrading shore-based infrastructure and business processes. The investment resulted in improved vessel reliability, and increased vehicle, cabin and seating capacity.