MV Apollo

For the ship owned by the Church of Scientology, see HMS Royal Scotsman. For the bulk carrier, see Apollo Sea.

MV Apollo preparing to dock in Newfoundland.
History
Name	Apollo (1970–1976) Olau Kent (1976–1980) Gelting Nord (1980–1984) Benodet (1984–1985) Corbière (1985–1995) Apollo (1995–2021)
Owner	Rederi AB Slite (1970–1976) Olau Line (1970–1980) Nordisk Faergefart (1980–1990) Brittany Ferries (1984–1985) Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö (1990–2000) Labrador Marine (2000–2021)
Port of registry	Slite, Sweden (1970–1976) Ribe, Denmark (1976–1980) Faaborg, Denmark (1980–1984) Nassau, Bahamas (1984–1991) Tallinn, Estonia (1991–1994) Nassau, Bahamas (1994–2000) St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada (2000–2021)
Builder	Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany
Cost	SEK 25 million
Yard number	0560
Launched	19 December 1969
Sponsored by	Isabella Myrsten
Completed	2 May 1970
Maiden voyage	1970
In service	1970–2019
Identification	IMO number: 7006314 MMSI number: 316002070 Call sign: CFG6209 (current)
Fate	Scrapped at Aliağa, Turkey in 2021.
General characteristics (as built)
Type	Passenger ferry
Length	108.7 m (356 ft 8 in)
Beam	17.2 m (56 ft 5 in)
Draught	4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)
Depth	6 m (19 ft 8 in)
Installed power	2 × 4,000 bhp (3,000 kW) 12 cyl. Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz SBV 12M 350 diesel engines 1982 re-engined with 2x 4,500 bhp (3,400 kW) MAN 9L32/36 diesel engines
Propulsion	2 shafts; controllable pitch propellers
Speed	18.5 knots (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph)
General characteristics (current)
Type	Passenger ferry
Tonnage	6,609 GT 1,982 NT 1,100 DWT
Length	108.7 m (356 ft 8 in)
Beam	17.2 m (56 ft 5 in)
Draught	4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)
Depth	6 m (19 ft 8 in)
Ice class	1A
Installed power	From 1982, 2 × 4,500 bhp 9 cyl. MAN/B&W 9L32/36
Propulsion	2 shafts; controllable pitch propellers
Speed	18.5 knots (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph)

MV Apollo was a vehicle/passenger ferry that previously serviced the route between St. Barbe, Newfoundland and Labrador and Blanc-Sablon, Quebec, Canada.

History

Apollo at a drydrock in 1972.

Apollo was originally built for Rederi Ab Slite of Sweden in 1970. She was put into service for Viking Line from Kapellskär, Sweden, to Naantali, Finland, via Mariehamn on Åland. In 1975 the route was changed to Stockholm–Mariehamn. In 1976, she was sold to Olau Line for its service between Sheerness, England, and Vlissingen, Netherlands, and was renamed Olau Kent, before returning to Scandinavia in 1981 as the Gelting Nord of Danish operator Nordisk Færgefart. In 1984, she was chartered to Brittany Ferries as the Benodet, before moving to sister company British Channel Island Ferries in 1985 as the Corbière. In the early 1990s, she was sold to Rederi Ab Eckerö and moved back to the Baltic Sea serving between Helsinki and Tallinn, first for Tallink, under the marketing name Linda 1, and from 1995 for Eckerö Line and reverting to its original name of Apollo. After some further charters in the late 1990s, in 2000 Apollo was sold to the Woodward Group of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, entering service with its Labrador Marine subsidiary.

Service with Labrador Marine

MV Apollo departing from Corner Brook in March 2015.

Apollo laid up at Quebec in 2020.

Apollo typically operated across the Strait of Belle Isle between St. Barbe, on the island of Newfoundland and Blanc-Sablon, Quebec, close to the border with Labrador. Winter ice conditions sometimes prevent Apollo from entering the harbour at St. Barbe, and service is provided from the Newfoundland port of Corner Brook instead, resulting in a crossing time of 12 hours rather than 1 hour 45 minutes.

In January 2008, Apollo suffered a minor engine room fire.

On 13 April 2017, Apollo became stuck in ice in the Strait of Belle Isle near Blanc-Sablon, Quebec for nearly 30 hours with 70 passengers on board. The Canadian Coast Guard vessel CCGS Henry Larsen was sent to aid the ferry and escorted Apollo to port once it was free of the ice. Sailings were cancelled on 14 April, but the vessel returned to normal service following the incident. On 19–20 April, all sailings by the ferry were cancelled due to severe ice conditions in the strait.

In February 2019 the ship crashed into the landing dock in Godbout, Quebec, tearing a hole in the ship's bow. It crashed again the following month at a wharf across the river in Matane, Quebec. It was permanently removed from service after the two crashes. Plans were established to sink the vessel to create an underwater diving attraction, but asbestos was discovered on the ship and the project proved impractical. In October 2019, while the ship was costing $30,000 per month to keep the ship docked at a facility in Quebec City, it was announced that the vessel would be scrapped. MV Qajaq W, formerly MV Grete, replaced Apollo on the Strait of Belle Isle crossing in late 2019. Apollo was finally scrapped in September 2021 at Aliaga in Turkey.

External links

• Labrador Marine (Woodward Group)