The Halifax Regional Municipality and Metro Transit have announced the new harbour ferry has been named Christopher Stannix, after a soldier who died in Afghanistan in 2007.

More than 12,800 votes were cast online for the naming of the new ferry. The new ferry is part of an increased service on the Woodside — Halifax route.

Master Cpl. Christopher Stannix died in 2007 after the vehicle he was travelling in struck a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. (DND)

Master Cpl. Christopher Stannix was a graduate of Auburn Drive High School and attended Saint Mary's University. He enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces in 2001. In April 2007, 24-year-old Stannix was killed when the vehicle he was in struck a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

"The person who submitted the winning name will receive a conventional Metro Transit pass for a period of one year," Metro Transit officials said in a statement.

"A number of residents wanted to honour Master Cpl. Stannix by naming the new ferry after him. The submissions were time stamped to determine who sent in the winning entry first."

When the list of five finalists for the new ferry was released in the fall, some were disappointed by the lack of diversity.

The contest was built in hopes of finding a creative name for the boat that will cross Halifax Harbour. The current ferries are called Halifax 3, Dartmouth 3 and Woodside 1.