ferries – Professional Mariner

11 Mar

Conversion of two WSF ferries delayed due to World Cup

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsferries, Hybrids, shipbuilding

(SEATTLE) — Gov. Bob Ferguson announced Thursday he will delay hybrid-electric conversion for two of the state’s largest ferries, putting Washington on the path to restoring full domestic ferry service by this summer. As a result of this plan, Washington State Ferries (WSF) will have 18 operating vessels in the water for the first time since 2019. Full domestic service…

05 Feb

Retired WSF ferry to be converted to floating office

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsferries

(SEATTLE) — The ferry Elwha is going to a good home. Everett Ship Repair, a maintenance partner of Washington State Ferries (WSF), has purchased Elwha for $100,000. The Western Towboat Co. tug Mariner, supplied by the new owner, arrived at the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal on Jan. 30 and began the process of moving the ferry. “The Elwha has been…

20 Dec

Eastern delivers new ferry for Long Island Sound

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsferries, shipbuilding

(PANAMA CITY, Fla.) — Eastern Shipbuilding Group has delivered Long Island (ESG Hull 228), a newly constructed passenger and auto ferry, to the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Co., a subsidiary of McAllister Towing. The 302-foot vessel, designed to provide seamless transportation between Bridgeport, Conn., and Port Jefferson, N.Y., across Long Island Sound, is the latest addition to the company’s…

21 Nov

Nation’s first hydrofoil electric ferry coming to Lake Tahoe

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsEnvironment, ferries, propulsion

(STOCKHOLM, Sweden) — Candela and FlyTahoe have announced the introduction of the first U.S.-based Candela P-12, a hydrofoil electric ferry, on Lake Tahoe. The ferry will reduce travel times for locals and visitors, providing a much-needed north-south connection across the lake while also helping to cut emissions. The Candela P-12 is the fastest electric vessel in the world with the…

20 Nov

TSB: Communication breakdown led to mooring injury on ferry

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsferries, TSB

(QUEBEC CITY) — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has released its investigation report into the accident on board the ferry Atlantic Vision in Les Mechins, Quebec, in which a crewmember was injured. On March 23, 2023, while Atlantic Vision was unmooring, a mooring line wrapped around the vessel’s bow thruster propeller shaft, which was operating. The tension generated…

28 Oct

San Francisco Bay Ferry awarded $12.5 million for electrification

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsEnvironment, ferries, propulsion, shipbuilding

(SAN FRANCISCO) — San Francisco Bay Ferry has been awarded a $12.5 million grant from the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) to bring zero-emission, battery-electric ferry service to the Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal in Alameda. The award advances SF Bay Ferry’s Rapid Electric Emission-Free Ferry (REEF) Program, a transformative suite of projects to transition the agency’s fleet to zero-emission propulsion…

25 Oct

Staten Island Ferry, NYC Ferry trialing renewable diesel

Rich MillerMaritime NewsEnvironment, ferries, propulsion

(NEW YORK) — Staten Island Ferry and NYC Ferry will begin testing the use of renewable diesel fuel, a petroleum-free alternative to traditional diesel fuel. Renewable diesel reduces carbon emissions by 60 percent or more and its use in the ferries will help nearly 30 million annual riders navigate the city’s waterways in a more sustainable way. NYC Ferry will…

07 Oct

Eastern cuts steel for Florida passenger and vehicle ferry

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsferries, shipbuilding

(PANAMA CITY, Fla.) — Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) marked a milestone Friday with the official steel cutting for the new Fisher Island ferry, Falcon, at Eastern's Allanton facility. Attending the event were members of the Fisher Island Community Association (FICA). The ferry is slated for delivery to the Florida group in the spring of 2026. “The Falcon will provide a…

18 Sep

U.S. awards $300 million to modernize ferry systems

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsEnvironment, ferries, shipbuilding

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on Monday announced grants totaling nearly $300 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand and modernize the nation's ferry systems. Each year, 56 million trips are made on ferries in communities across the country, supporting the movement of people and goods, boosting local economies and helping to lower…

09 Sep

Sale of retired WSF ferries canceled after tow failure

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsferries, Salvage

(SEATTLE) — Washington State Ferries (WSF) has scrapped plans to sell two decommissioned ferries after the buyer failed to tow the vessels out of Puget Sound, The Seattle Times reported. The retired ferries — Elwha and Klahowya — were to be taken to Ecuador last month for recycling. But after the tow crew couldn’t connect the boats in tandem to…