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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
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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
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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
174:. The ferry is more than 280 feet long and can carry more than 750 passengers and 220 cars. The ferry features bars, a restaurant, movie theater, children's play area, business class, wireless Internet service, and an arcade.
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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.
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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
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Following the CATS bankruptcy, the vessel remained docked in
Rochester. On February 28, 2005 a bankruptcy auction sold
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safety requirements, however
Canadian and U.S. registered vessels had the benefit of not requiring to pay for
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service, saw CATS shut down the entire operation on
September 7, 2004, after only 11 weeks of service.
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bloomberg businessweek: "Company
Overview of Canadian American Transportation Systems LLC"
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Since the vessel was operating between two international ports, CATS decided to register
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was selected as the designer for the
Toronto ferry terminal in the Inner Harbour area.
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nation, to avoid
Canadian or U.S. taxes. It was still required to meet all
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254:"The full Monty: A timeline of our fast ferry's checkered past"
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services, a requirement for all foreign registered vessels.
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which initiated a passenger/vehicle ferry service on
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333:Companies that have filed for bankruptcy in Canada
294:- Coverage by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
338:Defunct shipping companies of the United States
166:and it arrived at Rochester on April 27, 2004.
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17:Canadian American Transportation Systems LLC
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348:Defunct companies based in New York (state)
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130:Canadian American Transportation Systems
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308:Companies based in Rochester, New York
328:Transportation in Rochester, New York
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343:Defunct shipping companies of Canada
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313:Ferry companies of New York (state)
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229:Bay Ferries Great Lakes Limited
178:Scott Associates Architects Inc
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231:to operate the service using
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318:Ferry companies of Ontario
201:United States Coast Guard
170:registered name remained
35:Limited liability company
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154:Perth, Western Australia
111:Passenger transportation
122:www.spiritofontario.com
258:Democrat and Chronicle
113:Freight transportation
323:Transport in Toronto
205:Canadian Coast Guard
233:Spirit of Ontario I
225:Spirit of Ontario I
197:flag of convenience
189:Spirit of Ontario I
172:Spirit of Ontario I
163:Spirit of Ontario I
158:St. Lawrence Seaway
134:Rochester, New York
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191:under the flag of
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261:. Retrieved
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252:Orr, Steve.
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150:Austal Ships
148:vessel from
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138:Lake Ontario
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89:Lake Ontario
65:Headquarters
31:Company type
84:Area served
302:Categories
263:2022-03-23
239:References
96:Key people
102:President
70:Rochester
60:Dissolved
209:pilotage
108:Services
44:Shipping
41:Industry
193:Bahamas
142:Toronto
118:Website
49:Defunct
203:and
195:, a
57:Fate
52:2004
152:in
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