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HSC Virgen de Coromoto
The HSC Virgen de Coromoto is an 86 m (282 ft) fast catamaran ferry operated by Consolidada de Ferrys C.A. in Venezuela. It was built in Australia in 2004 for a fast ferry service on Lake Ontario between Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Rochester, New York, United States. After the ferry service failed, the boat was sold in 2007 and operated in the Strait of Gibraltar on a Spain-Morocco service until 2012. In 2012–13, the ship operated on Kattegatruten's Aarhus–Kalundborg route in Denmark until October 2013 when the route was cancelled.
The vessel was built in 2004 at Austal in Perth, Australia. The catamaran has an overall length of 86.60 meters and a beam of 23.80 m. Her gross tonnage amounts 6,242 GT. The machinery consists of four MTU engines with a total output of 4 x 8,200 kW (44,595 HP) allowing a maximum service speed of 45 knots (83 km/h). The vessel has a capacity for 774 passengers and 238 car-equivalents (or a maximum of 10 trucks and 150 cars) can be accommodated on board.
The vessel was delivered by Austal in 2004 and christened Spirit of Ontario I for the operator Canadian American Transportation Systems (CATS) on an 82 nautical miles (94 mi; 152 km) route across Lake Ontario, linking the ports of Rochester, New York, and Toronto, Ontario. A high-speed ferry service between the two ports was discussed and spearheaded by local politicians and business leaders, primarily in upstate New York, beginning in the 1990s and continuing until the early 2000s. The city of Rochester built a ferry terminal in speculation of such a service being implemented.
A group of investors formed a U.S. company named Canadian American Transportation Systems (CATS) which then entered into a contract to build Spirit of Ontario I with Austal in 2003.
The vessel left Perth on February 17, 2004, crossing the Pacific Ocean and transiting the Panama Canal, reaching New York City on April 1, 2004. The vessel's aluminum hull was slightly damaged while docking for a public relations event at the South Street Seaport, forcing Austal to perform emergency repairs before continuing on through the Gulf of St. Lawrence and St. Lawrence Seaway, arriving in Rochester on April 27, 2004.
CATS promoted the new service, aiming to begin operations in early May 2004. As part of their promotional activities during the months leading up to Spirit of Ontario I arriving on Lake Ontario, CATS marketers created a competition for free boarding passes whereby members of the public could submit suggestions for the service's official "nickname". The winning entry was "The Breeze", but its registered name remained Spirit of Ontario I. "The Breeze" was only used as a CATS marketing strategy and as a registered trademark for the service itself.
The early May 2004 start-up of operations was not feasible for several reasons:
The accumulated delays pushed the start-up date for Spirit of Ontario I to June 17, 2004. In the meantime, Lake Express, a much smaller high-speed catamaran ferry, also built by Austal Ships (in Alabama), went into service on Lake Michigan, laying claim to being the first high-speed car ferry service on the Great Lakes.
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HSC Virgen de Coromoto
The HSC Virgen de Coromoto is an 86 m (282 ft) fast catamaran ferry operated by Consolidada de Ferrys C.A. in Venezuela. It was built in Australia in 2004 for a fast ferry service on Lake Ontario between Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Rochester, New York, United States. After the ferry service failed, the boat was sold in 2007 and operated in the Strait of Gibraltar on a Spain-Morocco service until 2012. In 2012–13, the ship operated on Kattegatruten's Aarhus–Kalundborg route in Denmark until October 2013 when the route was cancelled.
The vessel was built in 2004 at Austal in Perth, Australia. The catamaran has an overall length of 86.60 meters and a beam of 23.80 m. Her gross tonnage amounts 6,242 GT. The machinery consists of four MTU engines with a total output of 4 x 8,200 kW (44,595 HP) allowing a maximum service speed of 45 knots (83 km/h). The vessel has a capacity for 774 passengers and 238 car-equivalents (or a maximum of 10 trucks and 150 cars) can be accommodated on board.
The vessel was delivered by Austal in 2004 and christened Spirit of Ontario I for the operator Canadian American Transportation Systems (CATS) on an 82 nautical miles (94 mi; 152 km) route across Lake Ontario, linking the ports of Rochester, New York, and Toronto, Ontario. A high-speed ferry service between the two ports was discussed and spearheaded by local politicians and business leaders, primarily in upstate New York, beginning in the 1990s and continuing until the early 2000s. The city of Rochester built a ferry terminal in speculation of such a service being implemented.
A group of investors formed a U.S. company named Canadian American Transportation Systems (CATS) which then entered into a contract to build Spirit of Ontario I with Austal in 2003.
The vessel left Perth on February 17, 2004, crossing the Pacific Ocean and transiting the Panama Canal, reaching New York City on April 1, 2004. The vessel's aluminum hull was slightly damaged while docking for a public relations event at the South Street Seaport, forcing Austal to perform emergency repairs before continuing on through the Gulf of St. Lawrence and St. Lawrence Seaway, arriving in Rochester on April 27, 2004.
CATS promoted the new service, aiming to begin operations in early May 2004. As part of their promotional activities during the months leading up to Spirit of Ontario I arriving on Lake Ontario, CATS marketers created a competition for free boarding passes whereby members of the public could submit suggestions for the service's official "nickname". The winning entry was "The Breeze", but its registered name remained Spirit of Ontario I. "The Breeze" was only used as a CATS marketing strategy and as a registered trademark for the service itself.
The early May 2004 start-up of operations was not feasible for several reasons:
The accumulated delays pushed the start-up date for Spirit of Ontario I to June 17, 2004. In the meantime, Lake Express, a much smaller high-speed catamaran ferry, also built by Austal Ships (in Alabama), went into service on Lake Michigan, laying claim to being the first high-speed car ferry service on the Great Lakes.