MV Highlanders (ex-MV Stena Traveller) is a Ro-Pax passenger/vehicle ferry operated by the Canadian Crown corporation Marine Atlantic. She operates between the islands of Newfoundland and Cape Breton in eastern Canada and is named after several Nova Scotian infantry regiments which fought in the first and second world wars.

MV Highlanders at Channel-Port aux Basques, Canada
History
Name
  • 2007-2009: Stena Traveller
  • 2011 onwards: Highlanders
Operator
Port of registrySt. John's,  Canada
BuilderBaltijsky Zavod Shipyard, Vasilyevsky Island, Russia/Fosen Mekaniske Verksteder (Fosen Yards), Rissa, Norway
Laid down14 June 2005
Launched8 December 2006
Completed12 June 2007
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class and typeSeabridger
Tonnage28,460 GT
Length199.5 m (654.5 ft)
Beam26.70 m (87.6 ft)
Draught6.20 m (20.3 ft)
Installed power2 × MAN 9L48/60B 9-cylinder diesel engines, 2 × Auxiliary Mitsubishi diesel engines
Propulsion
  • 2 × controllable pitch propellers
  • 3 × bow thrusters
Capacity
  • 1000 passengers
  • 2840 lane meters

Largely built in Russia, her assembly was finished in Norway. As part of Stena Line she regularly ran between The Netherlands and the United Kingdom from 2007-2009. After being leased by Marine Atlantic, she was taken to Bremerhaven, Germany to be converted to better suit the North Sydney to Channel-Port aux Basques route, which she would be taking over. This conversion included the addition of a third bow thruster, increase and renovation of the passenger areas, and shortening of the vessel by 12m to help facilitate docking at Channel-Port aux Basques.[1] She entered regular passenger service with Marine Atlantic in mid April 2011 shortly after her nearly identical sister ship MV Blue Puttees. In May 2015, Marine Atlantic announced that it had purchased both vessels from Stena for Can$100 million each.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "GOVERNMENT OF CANADA INVESTS IN TWO FERRIES FOR MARINE ATLANTIC INC" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  2. ^ "Marine Atlantic Purchases MV Blue Puttees, MV Highlanders". CBC News. 2015-05-26. Retrieved 2015-05-26.