MV Abegweit (1982)
Encyclopedia
The MV Abegweit was an icebreaking
railway
, vehicle, and passenger ferries
which operated across the Abegweit Passage
of Northumberland Strait
, connecting Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island
to Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick
. There were two vessels named Abegweit that serviced this route between 1947 and 1997.
The word Abegweit is derived from the Mi'kmaq
word for Prince Edward Island
, Epekwit'k, meaning "cradled (or cradle) on the waves."
(CN) underwent a corporate reorganization which saw all of its ferry services placed under a subsidiary named CN Marine
. CN Marine began the process of planning the design with German & Milne for a replacement of the MV Abegweit, a vessel which entered service in 1947.
The new vessel was to be named MV Straitway and unlike the MV Abegweit, was designed as a RoRo ferry which permitted faster loading and unloading. She was also custom designed for the protected waters of Northumberland Strait. This permitted German & Milne to depart from traditional vessel design by eliminating the need for a conventional hull and bow.
The new vessel was laid down as hull 1136 at Saint John Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
in Saint John, New Brunswick
and was launched in the fall of 1981.
During the winter of 1982–1983, while the new MV Abegweit was in service between Borden and Tormentine, the old MV Abby was docked at Pictou, Nova Scotia
and advertised for sale by CN Marine. She was purchased by the Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago, Illinois who were not permitted by city ordinances to construct a clubhouse on the waterfront, therefore the club decided to purchase the MV Abby and permanently moor her at their facility. She left the Northumberland Strait for good in April, 1983 and remains in "service" in Chicago.
of this route. Measuring 401 feet (122 m) in length and displacing 12,000 tons, she had 6 main engines which generated 18,000 brake horsepower (13 MW) which drove 2 stern propellers and 2 bow thrusters and 1 stern thruster. She could carry 974 passengers and 250 cars (or 40 trucks or 20 railway cars) and had a hoistable car deck which doubled the number of cars on the B/C decks.
to Marine Atlantic
. On December 31, 1989 the MV Abegweits sister icebreaking ferry MV John Hamilton Gray carried the last railway cars off Prince Edward Island with the abandonment of CN service on the island (see Prince Edward Island Railway
).
In 1986, discussion of a "fixed link" to replace the Borden-Cape Tormentine ferry service was revived. A January 18, 1988 plebiscite in Prince Edward Island gave 60% approval for design and construction of such a structure. On May 31, 1997 the Confederation Bridge
was opened and the ferry service closed.
to be used on its Cabot Strait
service.
MV Abegweit then laid up at the Sydport Industrial Park at Point Edward, Nova Scotia
on the west shore of Sydney Harbour and was placed for sale. Due to her relatively young age, Marine Atlantic had considered retrofitting the MV Abegweit with a hurricane bow and to lengthen to use her on the Cabot Strait service but the cost estimates for such modifications proved too costly, therefore she was declared surplus. MV Abegweit languished for 2 years without moving at Sydport before being sold in July 1999 to a firm named "Accrued Investments Inc." in Houston, Texas
. MV Abegweit was renamed MV Accrued Mariner and sailed to the port of Galveston, Texas
that month.
The new owners were supposedly examining the possibility of using MV Accrued Mariner as a freight/railway ferry in the Great Lakes
or possibly in the Gulf of Mexico
but she was never used and languished in Galveston until February 2004. During this time she was again advertised for sale on E-bay with a price of $6 million USD at one point.
She was sold in January 2004 to a company named "Pelican Marine" in India
. Her name was changed to MV Mariner under the registered owner of "Bridgend Shipping Ltd." in Kingstown, St. Vincent
. She sailed from Galveston at the end of February 2004 under the operation and management of "Jupiter Shipmanagement" (India). To burn off the fuel still onboard from her days at Marine Atlantic, some of which was topped off by Accrued Investments, she was operated at reduced speed on 2 engines. The Mariner crossed the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean arriving at the Alang Shipbreaking Yards in Alang, India in early May 2004.
The Lloyd's Registry shows her as being scrapped on May 9, 2004.
Icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...
railway
Train ferry
A train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries", as...
, vehicle, and passenger ferries
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...
which operated across the Abegweit Passage
Abegweit Passage
Abegweit Passage is the narrowest part of the Northumberland Strait, comprising the 13-kilometre wide portion between Cape Tryon, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick. Tidal currents in this area can reach up to 4 knots...
of Northumberland Strait
Northumberland Strait
The Northumberland Strait is a strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern Canada...
, connecting Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island
Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island
Borden-Carleton is a Canadian village located on the south shore of Prince Edward Island, fronting on the Northumberland Strait.The village was created through a merger on April 12, 1995 of the original port town of Borden and the farming community of Carleton...
to Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick
Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick
Cape Tormentine is a Canadian rural community in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.The community derives its name from a headland of the same name which extends into the Northumberland Strait, forming the easternmost point in the province.-Railway:...
. There were two vessels named Abegweit that serviced this route between 1947 and 1997.
The word Abegweit is derived from the Mi'kmaq
Mi'kmaq language
The Mi'kmaq language is an Eastern Algonquian language spoken by nearly 9,100 Mi'kmaq in Canada and the United States out of a total ethnic Mi'kmaq population of roughly 20,000. The word Mi'kmaq is a plural word meaning 'my friends' ; the adjectival form is Míkmaw...
word for Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
, Epekwit'k, meaning "cradled (or cradle) on the waves."
Design and construction
In the late 1970s, Canadian National RailwayCanadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
(CN) underwent a corporate reorganization which saw all of its ferry services placed under a subsidiary named CN Marine
CN Marine
CN Marine was a Canadian ferry company headquartered in Moncton, New Brunswick.-History:CN Marine was created by parent Canadian National Railway in 1977 as a means to group the company's ferry operations in eastern Canada into a separate operating division...
. CN Marine began the process of planning the design with German & Milne for a replacement of the MV Abegweit, a vessel which entered service in 1947.
The new vessel was to be named MV Straitway and unlike the MV Abegweit, was designed as a RoRo ferry which permitted faster loading and unloading. She was also custom designed for the protected waters of Northumberland Strait. This permitted German & Milne to depart from traditional vessel design by eliminating the need for a conventional hull and bow.
The new vessel was laid down as hull 1136 at Saint John Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Saint John Shipbuilding
Saint John Shipbuilding was a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Saint John, New Brunswick. It operated from 1923-2003.-History:Numerous shipyards were located on the shores of Courtney Bay in the east end of Saint John Harbour where extensive mud flats dried at low tide.In 1918 it was...
in Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
and was launched in the fall of 1981.
Naming controversy
While the new vessel was still in the midst of construction in late 1981, it was decided that the name MV Straitway would be changed to MV Abegweit, the same name as the vessel soon to leave service. Since the new vessel would be taking the same name, it was necessary to rename the original vessel for its last months of service. The name chosen for the original MV Abegweit was MV Abby and she finished service when the new MV Abegweit entered service in 1982. A curious phenomenon arising out of CN Marine's name-switch operation is that many in the general public assume the new vessel's name was "Abegweit II" - this is not the case as she was officially registered as MV Abegweit.During the winter of 1982–1983, while the new MV Abegweit was in service between Borden and Tormentine, the old MV Abby was docked at Pictou, Nova Scotia
Pictou, Nova Scotia
Pictou is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km north of the larger town of New Glasgow....
and advertised for sale by CN Marine. She was purchased by the Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago, Illinois who were not permitted by city ordinances to construct a clubhouse on the waterfront, therefore the club decided to purchase the MV Abby and permanently moor her at their facility. She left the Northumberland Strait for good in April, 1983 and remains in "service" in Chicago.
CN Marine service
The new MV Abegweit was a much larger and more capable vessel - the largest on the Northumberland Strait service and she became the flagshipFlagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of this route. Measuring 401 feet (122 m) in length and displacing 12,000 tons, she had 6 main engines which generated 18,000 brake horsepower (13 MW) which drove 2 stern propellers and 2 bow thrusters and 1 stern thruster. She could carry 974 passengers and 250 cars (or 40 trucks or 20 railway cars) and had a hoistable car deck which doubled the number of cars on the B/C decks.
Marine Atlantic service
In 1986, the federal government reorganized its east coast ferry services and changed the name of the Crown corporation from CN MarineCN Marine
CN Marine was a Canadian ferry company headquartered in Moncton, New Brunswick.-History:CN Marine was created by parent Canadian National Railway in 1977 as a means to group the company's ferry operations in eastern Canada into a separate operating division...
to Marine Atlantic
Marine Atlantic
Marine Atlantic Inc. is an independent Canadian Crown corporation offering ferry services between the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.Marine Atlantic's corporate headquarters are in St...
. On December 31, 1989 the MV Abegweits sister icebreaking ferry MV John Hamilton Gray carried the last railway cars off Prince Edward Island with the abandonment of CN service on the island (see Prince Edward Island Railway
Prince Edward Island Railway
The Prince Edward Island Railway was a historic Canadian railway.-Construction:Located wholly within the province of Prince Edward Island, construction of the PEIR started in 1871, financed by the United Kingdom...
).
In 1986, discussion of a "fixed link" to replace the Borden-Cape Tormentine ferry service was revived. A January 18, 1988 plebiscite in Prince Edward Island gave 60% approval for design and construction of such a structure. On May 31, 1997 the Confederation Bridge
Confederation Bridge
The Confederation Bridge is a bridge spanning the Abegweit Passage of Northumberland Strait, linking Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick, Canada. It was commonly referred to as the "Fixed Link" by residents of Prince Edward Island prior to its official naming. Construction took place...
was opened and the ferry service closed.
Sale and disposal
MV Abegweit was used as a cargo vessel to haul Marine Atlantic equipment located at Borden and Cape Tormentine to the corporation's dock and storage facilities at North Sydney, Nova ScotiaNorth Sydney, Nova Scotia
North Sydney is a community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.Located on the north side of Sydney Harbour, along the eastern coast of Cape Breton Island, North Sydney is an important port in Atlantic Canada as it is the western terminus of the Marine Atlantic ferry service...
to be used on its Cabot Strait
Cabot Strait
Cabot Strait is a strait in eastern Canada approximately 110 kilometres wide between Cape Ray, Newfoundland and Cape North, Cape Breton Island. It is the widest of the three outlets for the Gulf of Saint Lawrence into the Atlantic Ocean, the others being the Strait of Belle Isle and Strait of Canso...
service.
MV Abegweit then laid up at the Sydport Industrial Park at Point Edward, Nova Scotia
Point Edward, Nova Scotia
Point Edward is a community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.It is located on the southwest shore of the North West Arm of Sydney Harbour, immediately north of the community of North West Arm, south of Edwardsville and west of Westmount.Point Edward is also the name of a headland...
on the west shore of Sydney Harbour and was placed for sale. Due to her relatively young age, Marine Atlantic had considered retrofitting the MV Abegweit with a hurricane bow and to lengthen to use her on the Cabot Strait service but the cost estimates for such modifications proved too costly, therefore she was declared surplus. MV Abegweit languished for 2 years without moving at Sydport before being sold in July 1999 to a firm named "Accrued Investments Inc." in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. MV Abegweit was renamed MV Accrued Mariner and sailed to the port of Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
that month.
The new owners were supposedly examining the possibility of using MV Accrued Mariner as a freight/railway ferry in the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The 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...
or possibly in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
but she was never used and languished in Galveston until February 2004. During this time she was again advertised for sale on E-bay with a price of $6 million USD at one point.
She was sold in January 2004 to a company named "Pelican Marine" in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Her name was changed to MV Mariner under the registered owner of "Bridgend Shipping Ltd." in Kingstown, St. Vincent
Kingstown
Kingstown is the chief port of Saint Vincent, and the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. With a population of 25,418 Kingstown is a centre for the island's agricultural industry and a port of entry for tourists...
. She sailed from Galveston at the end of February 2004 under the operation and management of "Jupiter Shipmanagement" (India). To burn off the fuel still onboard from her days at Marine Atlantic, some of which was topped off by Accrued Investments, she was operated at reduced speed on 2 engines. The Mariner crossed the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean arriving at the Alang Shipbreaking Yards in Alang, India in early May 2004.
The Lloyd's Registry shows her as being scrapped on May 9, 2004.