GPA Awarded Contract by Todd Pacific Shipyards for 64B-Class WSF Auto Ferries

Seattle, WA – In January 2010, Naval Architect and Marine Engineering firm Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA) signed an agreement with Todd Pacific Shipyards to deliver the detailed engineering for the B-Series 64 Auto Ferries.

The B-Series ferries, of which two ferries are confirmed to be built with an option for a third, are a continuation of the first 64-Auto ferries design for which GPA delivered the final design and production engineering in 2009 after completing the final design for the WSF 144-car ferry in November of 2008.
 

The 83-meter 64B-car ferry, intended to carry 750 passengers and 64 standard autos, is equipped with two 3,000HP engines driving controllable pitch propellers, which is the main difference to the original 64-car ferry, which is equipped with fixed pitch propellers.

Construction for the B-Class ferries is expected to commence in April 2010 with delivery for the first ferry expected in Summer 2011

The ferries, owned by Washington State Ferries (WSF), will be part of the largest ferry system in the United States and the third largest in the world, transporting over 24 million passengers annually.

Guido Perla and Associates, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is recognized as a world leader in naval architecture and marine engineering.

By Professional Mariner Staff