Seastreak newcomer pushing through dip in demand

Seastreak newcomer pushing through dip in demand

Two years ago, Seastreak LLC took delivery of Seastreak Commodore, a 600-passenger fast ferry, from Gulf Craft of Franklin, La. Designed by Australia-based Incat Crowther, the vessel is the largest of its kind in the United States and was built to meet the burgeoning demand for service in the New York-New Jersey market. Then COVID-19 arrived and passenger traffic took…
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Niagara Falls tour operator leads industry toward all-electric future

Niagara Falls tour operator leads industry toward all-electric future

Buffalo earned the “City of Light” nickname more than a century ago as an early beneficiary of the electricity generated from nearby Niagara Falls. The iconic Niagara Falls Maid of the Mist tour company made history of its own last fall when it took delivery of the first zero-emission passenger vessels built in the United States. The 90.5-foot aluminum catamarans…
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Madonna adds flexibility, ice-breaking capacity for Wisconsin operator

Madonna adds flexibility, ice-breaking capacity for Wisconsin operator

For most of this century, the Washington Island Ferry Line had a single icebreaking vessel available for winter runs across Lake Michigan’s Death’s Door Passage. The arrangement caused some sleepless nights for company President Hoyt Purinton. He should rest a little easier this year now that a second ice-hardened ferry has joined the fleet. “We haven’t had the luxury of…
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COVID-19 threatens once-robust passenger vessel market

COVID-19 threatens once-robust passenger vessel market

The passenger boat market has been relatively strong over the past few years, driven largely by ferry operators on all three coasts replacing older vessels and adding to existing fleets. Meanwhile, the relatively robust economy stoked demand for new excursion and tourist vessels. The COVID-19 pandemic has, at least for now, paused demand for new passenger vessels. There is still…
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Top 40 index

American Jazz, 345’ Cruise ship Designer/builder: Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Salisbury, Md. Owner/operator: American Cruise Lines, Guilford, Conn. Anini I, 32’ Excursion boat Designer/builder: Armstrong Marine USA, Port Angeles, Wash. Owner/operator: North Shore Charters, Kilauea, Hawaii Aventura, 29’ Patrol boat Designer/builder: Sirocco Marine, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Owner/operator: Aventura Police Department, Aventura, Fla. Bay Voyager II, 37’ Excursion boat Designer/builder: Naiad, Picton, New…
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