Transporting 100,000 commercial units during a year: A record first for Marine Atlantic

Demonstrating the increased demand to ship commercial goods to the Island of Newfoundland and the need for Marine Atlantic (MAI) to accommodate this growing capacity, MAI today announced that it has transported 100,000 commercial units during a one a year period for the first time in the corporation's history.

"This is a very proud moment for the men and women of Marine Atlantic who work tirelessly to load our vessels and transport our commercial passengers across the Gulf of St. Lawrence each and every day, 365 days a year," said Wayne Follett, President and CEO of MAI. "We have been working hard to increase our capacity in recognition of the growing Newfoundland and Labrador economy. As our commercial customers increasingly rely on our service to transport their goods, we are making every attempt to meet their requirements. Reaching this milestone demonstrates that our efforts are working."

Follett noted this achievement of 100,000 commercial units equates to approximately 3 million tonnes of goods being transported. This milestone was reached even though the new fleet has not yet fully entered service. He credits the hard work of MAI employees who utilized the limited capacity that was available to reach this milestone.

"As we welcome our new fleet for this coming season, we expect to significantly exceed the 100,000 mark. Our new vessels, the MV Blue Puttees and MV Highlanders , bring significantly more capacity and reliability to our service than existed last year. This will help transport even more goods to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador as the economy continues to grow."

In recognition of reaching the 100,000 commercial unit milestone, MAI employees will be wearing a commemorative badge to mark the occasion. In addition, all meals served on board MAI vessels on April 1, 2011 will be complimentary to all passengers.

"I want to thank all of our customers and staff in reaching this milestone. As we work together to renew our fleet, our infrastructure and our business practices, all of our customers will see additional improvements in the next few years. Today's achievement is only one step in demonstrating the positive changes that are taking place within our corporation. There will be many more as we continue to work on becoming a modern and efficient corporation that provides a reliable service to our customers."

Marine Atlantic operates on a fiscal year calendar which runs from April 1 to March 31 each year.

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Media Contact:

Tara Laing, Communications Manager

Tel: 709-772-8974

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