Canadian American Transportation Systems
Encyclopedia
Canadian American Transportation Systems, or "CATS", was a company based in Rochester, New York
which initiated a passenger/vehicle ferry service on Lake Ontario
, connecting Rochester with Toronto.
CATS was established in the early 2000s by several local business leaders in upstate New York, after the City of Rochester solicited bids from companies interested in establishing such a ferry service. After the City of Rochester built a marine passenger terminal, CATS ordered a high-speed catamaran vessel from Austal Ships
in Perth, Western Australia
, based on a modified version of the Auto-Express 86 model. The modifications were mostly in terms of the vessel's beam (or width), as it needed to be able to transit through the locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The vessel's registered name was Spirit of Ontario I and it arrived at Rochester on April 27, 2004.
CATS heavily promoted the service and ran a contest with citizens in Ontario and New York for a marketing name for its operation, with the prize being a lifetime boarding pass. The winning name for the service was "The Breeze" and many people assumed this was the name of the vessel, however its registered name remained Spirit of Ontario I.
Scott Associates Architects Inc was selected as the designer for the Toronto ferry terminal in the Inner Harbour area.
The vessel began daily service between both ports with several 2.5 hour crossings per day, beginning on June 17, 2004. By the mid-summer, most crossings were at or near capacity and the service appeared to be successful.
Since the vessel was operating between two international ports, CATS decided to register Spirit of Ontario I under the flag of Bahamas, a flag of convenience
nation, to avoid Canadian or U.S. taxes. It was still required to meet all United States Coast Guard
and Canadian Coast Guard
safety requirements, however Canadian and U.S. registered vessels had the benefit of not requiring to pay for pilotage services, a requirement for all foreign registered vessels.
Following the CATS bankruptcy, the vessel remained docked in Rochester. On February 28, 2005 a bankruptcy auction sold Spirit of Ontario I for $32 million (USD) to Rochester Ferry Company LLC, a subsidiary of the City of Rochester. Rochester Ferry Company LLC announced in April 2005 that it had selected Bay Ferries Great Lakes Limited to operate the service using Spirit of Ontario I, with the service marketed under the name "The Cat". The service resumed June 30, 2005.
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
which initiated a passenger/vehicle ferry service on Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
, connecting Rochester with Toronto.
CATS was established in the early 2000s by several local business leaders in upstate New York, after the City of Rochester solicited bids from companies interested in establishing such a ferry service. After the City of Rochester built a marine passenger terminal, CATS ordered a high-speed catamaran vessel from Austal Ships
Austal
Austal is an Australian company that specializes in the design and construction of aluminium vessels. Its main products include passenger and freight ferries, luxury yachts and military vessels....
in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, based on a modified version of the Auto-Express 86 model. The modifications were mostly in terms of the vessel's beam (or width), as it needed to be able to transit through the locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The vessel's registered name was Spirit of Ontario I and it arrived at Rochester on April 27, 2004.
CATS heavily promoted the service and ran a contest with citizens in Ontario and New York for a marketing name for its operation, with the prize being a lifetime boarding pass. The winning name for the service was "The Breeze" and many people assumed this was the name of the vessel, however its registered name remained Spirit of Ontario I.
Scott Associates Architects Inc was selected as the designer for the Toronto ferry terminal in the Inner Harbour area.
The vessel began daily service between both ports with several 2.5 hour crossings per day, beginning on June 17, 2004. By the mid-summer, most crossings were at or near capacity and the service appeared to be successful.
Since the vessel was operating between two international ports, CATS decided to register Spirit of Ontario I under the flag of Bahamas, a flag of convenience
Flag of convenience
The term flag of convenience describes the business practice of registering a merchant ship in a sovereign state different from that of the ship's owners, and flying that state's civil ensign on the ship. Ships are registered under flags of convenience to reduce operating costs or avoid the...
nation, to avoid Canadian or U.S. taxes. It was still required to meet all United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
and Canadian Coast Guard
Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...
safety requirements, however Canadian and U.S. registered vessels had the benefit of not requiring to pay for pilotage services, a requirement for all foreign registered vessels.
End of the Line
This decision by CATS (which cost upwards of $6000/crossing), along with a series of unfortunate events related to charges for customs and immigration services, marine passenger terminal facilities in Toronto, and a poorly executed business plan, not to mention various delays in seeing the start of service, saw CATS shut down the entire operation on September 7, 2004, after only 11 weeks of service.Following the CATS bankruptcy, the vessel remained docked in Rochester. On February 28, 2005 a bankruptcy auction sold Spirit of Ontario I for $32 million (USD) to Rochester Ferry Company LLC, a subsidiary of the City of Rochester. Rochester Ferry Company LLC announced in April 2005 that it had selected Bay Ferries Great Lakes Limited to operate the service using Spirit of Ontario I, with the service marketed under the name "The Cat". The service resumed June 30, 2005.
External links
- The Fast Ferry - Coverage by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle