The MS Madeleine was a car/passenger ferry owned and operated by Coopérative de Transport Maritime et Aérien between Souris and Cap-aux-Meules. The ship was originally named Leinster and owned and operated by B&I Line. The ship later sailed with Irish Ferries as Isle of Inishturk as well as operating under the name Isle of Inishmore.

Madeleine arriving at Souris
History
Name
  • 1981–1993: Leinster
  • 1993–1996: Isle of Inishmore
  • 1996–1997: Isle of Inishturk
  • 1997–2021: Madeleine
Operator
Port of registry
BuilderVerolme Cork Dockyard, Cork, Ireland
Yard number979
Launched7 November 1980
Out of service2021
IdentificationIMO number7915228
FateScrapped
General characteristics (as built)[1]
Tonnage
Length122.05 m (400 ft 5 in)
Beam18.83 m (61 ft 9 in)
Draught4.99 m (16 ft 4 in)
Decks8
Installed power4 × MaK 8M551AK diesels
Propulsion2 x Controllable pitch propellers
Speed20 kn (37.04 km/h)
Capacity
  • 1500 passengers
  • 534 berths
  • 326 cars

History

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Leinster departing Dublin in July 1989

Madeleine was built in 1981 as Leinster for the B&I Line overnight DublinLiverpool route. Following heavy losses the overnight Dublin – Liverpool route closed in 1988.[2] Leinster transferred to the shorter Dublin – Holyhead route until 1993 when she was transferred to the Pembroke DockRosslare route, for this role she was renamed Isle of Inishmore.

In 1995 Isle of Inishmore received the new Irish Ferries livery following the privatization of B&I Line. The ship was renamed Isle of Inishturk a year later to free the name for a new vessel under construction in the Netherlands. The new Isle of Inishmore was delivered in 1997 enabling Isle of Innisfree to replace Isle of Inishturk on the Pembroke Dock – Rosslare route.

After a few months laid up, Isle of Inishturk was sold to Coopérative de Transport Maritime et Aérien (CTMA) and renamed Madeleine. Prior to entering service the lifeboats were removed and replaced with a Marine evacuation system. In 2006 Madeleine was rebuilt to comply with the latest safety regulations. This included the addition of large sponsons to the stern.[3]

After talks with Davie Shipbuilding to build a replacement ferry,[4] on 16 September 2020 the Government of Canada announced[5] that it had purchased MV Villa de Teror for $155 million to replace the MS Madeleine on CTMA's route between Souris, Prince Edward Island, and Cap-aux-Meules. The replacement ferry entered service in the summer of 2021 as Madeleine II. This is intended as an interim measure, as a newly-built vessel is planned to enter service on the route in 2026.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "M/S LEINSTER (1981)". www.faktaomfartyg.se. Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  2. ^ "The B&I Line". Archived from the original on 21 December 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Newsletter – May 25, 2009 volume #42". 25 May 2009. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012.
  4. ^ "Government of Canada plans to build two ferries at Davie". 19 June 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  5. ^ Canada, Public Services and Procurement (2 July 2020). "Government of Canada to acquire interim replacement for the MV Madeleine ferry". gcnws. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  6. ^ "'She's a beauty': New Magdalen Islands ferry features bedrooms, bar — but pool off limits". CBC News. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
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