MV Jarl Transporter

Marine Atlantic, its predecessor CN Marine, and pre-confederation Newfoundland coastal boats have a strong and proud history serving the people of Atlantic Canada through ferry terminals, passenger vessels and rail service.

In this week’s blog posting we highlight the MV Jarl Transporter which served the Port aux Basques-North Sydney crossing in 1973 and 1974.

Chartered in the early 1970s to help address an 88 percent increase in commercial trucks travelling between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, the vessel measured 105 metres in length and could travel at speeds of up to 15 knots. Designated specifically for freight service, the MV Jarl Transporter was a short-term charter and helped the ferry service transition their commercial activities. As the commercial industry moved from railcars to tractor trailers as their preferred method of shipping product across the Cabot Strait, new and existing vessels were adapted to meet this need.