(ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland and Labrador) — Marine Atlantic took delivery of its newest vessel, Ala’suinu, on Tuesday from CMI Jinling, Weihai Shipyard in China. The Stena RoRo E-Flexer ferry will be on a long-term charter with the Canadian state-owned company and operate between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
Ala’suinu, (pronounced Ah-laa-sue-in-ou), means “traveler” in Mi’kmaq. The vessel builds upon Marine Atlantic’s commitment to the environment by reducing carbon emissions using battery power to complement the vessel’s efficient engine design.
Ala’suinu will also introduce measures to decrease underwater noise, reducing the impact on marine life. The vessel incorporates the latest Canadian accessibility standards and provides customers with a variety of amenities such as 146 passenger cabins (including 31 pet-friendly cabins), 40 passenger pods, a variety of food service options, seating lounges, a children’s play area, and a kennel for pets.
The vessel will primarily operate on the Argentia service this summer, connecting customers between Cape Breton and eastern Newfoundland, and operate between Port aux Basques and North Sydney during the fall, winter and spring.
“I would like to thank our partners, Stena RoRo, for their dedication and commitment to ensuring the delivery of the Ala’suinu,” said Murray Hupman,
president and CEO, Marine Atlantic. “Our charter period has now begun, and we will have the option to purchase the vessel after a five-year period. We are excited for the enhancements this vessel will offer our customers and I look forward to its arrival (in Canada) in April.”
The E-Flexer series is based on a concept for larger vessels than today’s standard ro-pax ferries, and is very flexible. Each ship is tailored to the customer’s needs, both commercially and technically. Optimized design of the hull, propellers and rudders help to ensure that the E-Flexer vessels are at the forefront when it comes to sustainability, performance and cost, according to Stena RoRo.
The vessels’ multi-fuel engines can run on LNG, conventional marine fuel (MGO) or biodiesel. The vessels are designed with a battery power notation, which means they will also be able to utilize batteries as a means of propulsion in the future.
“The Ala’suinu is a specially designed vessel for Marine Atlantic,” said Per Westling, managing director of Stena RoRo AB. “In this vessel, another dimension of sustainability has been added to minimize underwater noise for the benefit of marine life off Canada’s coasts. Multi-fuel engines and battery hybrid technology further contribute to minimizing Marine Atlantic’s environmental impact.”
Marine Atlantic is a Canadian federal crown corporation tasked with fulfilling the constitutional mandate of offering freight and passenger service between the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.
Specifications
Length: 666 feet
Draft: 21 feet
Beam: 91 feet
Capacity: 1,000 passengers and 2,500 cargo meters freight
Passenger cabins: 186
Speed: 23 knots
