Marine Atlantic signs 5 year deal to lease a vessel, should be in service by fall

    Tuesday, 6 January 2026 12:22

    By Tonya Organ

    The A Nepita is ice-class rated, equipped with three bow thrusters, and designed to transport both passenger and commercial vehicles.

    Marine Atlantic has  signed a 5 year deal with Stena to lease the A Nepita, which will be added to the Port Aux Basques to North Sydney run. The vessel is scheduled to arrive in Canada this summer and will be modified to fit with Marine Atlantic’s docking infrastructure. Darrell Mercer is with Marine Atlantic Corporate Communications. He says the vessel will be renamed and should begin service this fall. It is equipped with cabins, restaurants, and seating areas providing customers with amenities like other vessels currently in the fleet.  The A Nepita is ice-class rated, equipped with three bow thrusters, and designed to transport both passenger and commercial vehicles.

    Marine Atlantic has been looking for a replacement for the aging Leif Ericsson, but Mercer says this is not a replacement for that vessel, which will stay in service until at least the end of this summer, with more discussions coming. 

    Mercer says further updates will be provided as work progresses towards the integration of this ship into the fleet. He says it will help address capacity issues with the service and also be used on the Argentia run, if need be. 

     

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