Thunder Bay

THUNDER BAY — The MS Chi-Cheemaun, the 643-passenger ferry and vehicle ferry that runs between Manitoulin Island and Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula, has arrived at the Heddle Shipyards in Thunder Bay.

The ship will be in dry dock for about six weeks for its mandatory five-year safety inspection.

The Chi-Cheemaun has been to Thunder Bay for previous inspections, but the last one – in 2016 – was conducted at a shipyard at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

A spokesperson for the ferry operator, the Owen Sound Transportation Company, says the location for the work is selected through a procurement process.

The ferry is expected to return to Owen Sound harbour to spend the winter by early December.

Heddle Shipyards is working to revitalize the historic Thunder Bay shipyard which it purchased in 2016.

In August, it announced the acquisition of Thunder Bay's Fabmar Metals, a fabrication and marine repair specialist 

Earlier this year it also announced that it will play a role in building Canada's new Polar-class icebreaker.

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