Fundy Rose ferry between Saint John and Digby unveiled

The FundyRose, which will replace the Princess of Acadia ferry between Saint John and Digby, was unveiled today in Saint John. Transportminister Lisa Raitt was in town for a ribbon cutting and tour of the vessel.

The man who will captain the Fundy Rose,DavidDoucet,is excited about the ship.

"I like the new ship. She handles great. She has lots of power," saidDoucet.

"She's like a little racing toy."

Doucet said the cruising speed of the Fundy Rose matches the top speed of the Princess of Acadia.

TheFundyRose has room for 245 cars, and 1317 passengers. It will have a business lounge, a truckers lounge, and a place for children to play.

"It looked kind of small, but it doesn't look small when you're in it," said Saint John resident Alan White, who took a tour of the boat today.

"I'm impressed with how well it's laid out."

It also has a separate deck for trucks, which truckers are concerned won't have as much space as the Princess of Acadia.

Donald Cormier is the vice president of operations and safety management at Northumberland Ferries. He confirmed that the Fundy Rose does have less space on the truck deck.

"The main truck deck is somewhat smaller than the Princess of Acadia, so we certainly understand that concern," said Cormier.

Despite that, he feels it is still the best ship that was available.

"The limited truck space is going to be dealt with by adding sailings," said Cormier. "For instance, in December when there is peak traffic of fisheries, as an operator the best thing we can do is actually add more frequency of sailings."

TheFundyRose was acquired by the government of Canada for approximately $44.6 million.