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Transportation in Canada 2001 |
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12
PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION
Marine Transportation
Cruise Ship Traffic
Within the shipping sector, the cruise ship industry had the
potential to be the most immediately and severely affected by
the events of September 11, 2001. Initially, certain cruises were
cancelled, as passengers were unable to reach the vessels due
to flight cancellations. Subsequently, however, occupancy levels
recovered with the help of discounting by the industry. The US
economic downturn also had an impact on the cruise business, as
the great majority of cruise passengers visiting Canadian ports
on the east and west coasts are US residents.
Despite several missed sailings after September 11, the Port
of Vancouver registered its 19th consecutive year of growth in
2001, with over 1,060,000 passengers, up one per cent from
2000 which was Vancouver's first million-plus passenger year.
Technical problems with the new Celebrity Cruises vessel Infinity
also resulted in two missed sailings earlier in the season.
Twenty-six vessels from 13 cruise lines made calls to the Port
of Vancouver in 2001. The number of sailings was down slightly
from previous years, but newer, larger vessels are in service.
The number of cruises to Alaska was supplemented by increasingly
popular off-peak mini-cruises of three to four days between Vancouver,
Victoria and Seattle.
The cruise ship business in Halifax was not hurt by September
11; it ended the season with record numbers for the fifth consecutive
year. Ninety-six cruise vessels brought more than 160,000 passengers
to the port, an increase of 16 per cent over 2000. The cruise
season was also the longest to date -- 200 days of visits from
April 16 to November 1.
Many smaller ports in the Atlantic Provinces are also seeing
increased visits from cruise vessels. Cornerbrook, Newfoundland,
for example, received 11 visits from cruise vessels, bringing
over 13,000 passengers and crew to the city. The visits were primarily
during the fall colour season.
Quebec City also saw an increase in cruise traffic in 2001,
with nearly 49,000 passengers visiting the city. Montreal and
Saint John, however, received fewer passengers than in 2000.
The Great Lakes cruise industry had hoped to see close to 10,000
passengers in 2001, but the final figure may be closer to 5,000.
Early in the season, the Greek cruise ship Arcadia, chartered
by Great Lakes Cruises Inc., had its season of cruising the Great
Lakes cancelled after it ran afoul of US health officials. The
parent company of Delta Queen Coastal Voyages, operator of the
Cape May Light, was declared bankrupt in the aftermath
of September 11, putting in question its future on the Great Lakes.
Hapag Lloyd's vessel Columbus was forced to cancel a voyage
immediately following September 11 because the cancellation of
international flights prevented a shipload of German tourists
from reaching it.
Table 12-24 shows the international cruise ship traffic at
major Canadian ports from 1990 to 2001.
Ferry Traffic
Traffic figures for 2001 for all members of the Canadian Ferry
Operators Association (CFOA) are not yet available. The relative
size of their operations is, however, evident in the traffic figures
for 2000. Total passenger traffic is estimated at over 40 million
passengers and 17 million vehicles. This represents approximately
15 per cent of total worldwide ferry traffic.
The British Columbia Ferry Corporation, by far the largest
operator in Canada, carried approximately 21.5 million passengers
and 7.8 million vehicles in 2000. Inland ferry services operated
by British Columbia's Ministry of Transportation and Highways
and Fraser River Marine Transportation carried another
6.6 million passengers and three million vehicles. In Quebec,
La Société des traversiers du Québec carried
5.5 million passengers and 1.9 million vehicles.
In 2001, the federal Crown corporation Marine Atlantic Inc.
increased its capacity with the addition of the MV Leif Ericson.
However, traffic decreased to 481,600 passengers and 232,800 vehicles
in service between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Private ferry
operators subsidized by the federal government increased their
overall traffic, carrying approximately 910,000 passengers and
335,000 vehicles in 2001. The remaining CFOA members, including
provincial operations in Newfoundland, Manitoba, Ontario and New
Brunswick, accounted for approximately four million passengers
and 1.8 million vehicle crossings.
Marine Transportation
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