Great South Bay News

Fire Island Ferries has taken delivery of its newest vessel, Fire Island Maid, designed by Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) and built by Metal Shark in Bayou La Batre, Ala.The 70- by  23-foot multipurpose vehicle ferry features a steel hull and aluminum superstructure and is equipped with a hydraulic ramp for loading and unloading heavy equipment. The reinforced deck is capable of supporting fully loaded concrete trucks and general cargo up to 100,000 pounds. The aft pilot house accommodates two crew and up to six passengers (assumed to be in their vehicles).

Metal Shark won a contract to build a new vehicle ferry for Fire Island Ferries, a vessel designed by Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG).Construction of the new Fire Island Maid recently commenced at Metal Shark’s Bayou La Batre, Alabama shipyard, and the 70 x 23-ft.vessel features a steel hull and aluminum superstructure. With its hydraulically operated bow ramp and reinforced decks designed to support fully loaded concrete trucks and general cargo, the new ferry will provide transport between Bay Shore…

Marine News recently visited the Blount Boats facility in Warren, Rhode Island. While the year 2019 might be the ‘year of the woman’ in the eyes of the International Maritime Organization, the two women at the head of Blount Boats – Marcia & Julie Blount– have been a driving force in the U.S. boatbuilding market for decades. As Blount’s celebrates its 70th anniversary, read about the storied yard’s promising future.Founded in 1949, Blount Boats is a full-service shipyard with a customer base comprised of a variety of commercial and government entities including the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S.

Anyone plying the Great South Bay between the shores of Long Island and Fire Island know that the fleet of Fire Island Ferries is a ubiquitous site, shuttling people, pets and supplies from the mainland to the barrier island oasis just five miles away. The scene is a familiar one, too, for Rhode Island boat builder Blount Boats, which has built quite a few of these ferries, and announced today the contact with Fire Island Ferries to build a new 85-ft. aluminum ferry boat for service between Bay Shore and Fire Island on Great South Bay.

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced that it was recently awarded four contracts with an approximate value of $93 million. Great Lakes received two awards for coastal protection work required along the East Coast as a result of the extensive damage caused by Super Storm Sandy in 2012 and other more recent storms. The first award is a $30 million contract that involves sand replenishment and dune building from Kismet to Seaview on Fire Island, New York. Approximately 1.3 million cubic yards of sand will be dredged and pumped onto the beach. This barrier island helps protect back-bay communities along Great South Bay and Moriches Bay. Work is expected to be complete by December 2016.

Silver Ships, Inc. has recently delivered a 34-foot custom designed and purpose-built all-welded aluminum fire/rescue boat to the Islip Fire District on Long Island, N.Y. The Islip Fire District’s area of responsibility includes The Great South Bay, communities on Fire Island, the Atlantic Ocean and Fire Island Inlet. This boat will also be made available to other fire districts on a mutual aid basis. The Board of Fire Commissioners of the Islip Fire District wanted an all-welded aluminum boat to ensure the safety and comfort of their crews when responding to, and on scene, of various emergency situations, including fire and rescue, emergency medical, diving operations and the supply of water to land-based units in order to aid in firefighting operations.

Blount Boats completed the 85’ Fire Islander in September 2013. The 382-passenger, 2 deck, all aluminum commuter boat will operate between Bay Shore Long Island and Fire Island on Great South Bay, Long Island, New York. The triple screw vessel is powered by Detroit Series 60 Tier II diesel engines, 600 hp each at 2,100 rpm with 2:1 ZF 550 reduction gears. At a displacement of 43.6 tons, she cruises at 19 knots at 70% of her horsepower load at full complement and 24 knots lightship at wide open throttle with very little wake.

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, has delivered a new high-speed ferry to Fire Island Ferries, Inc., on the south shore of Long Island in New York. The new 387-passenger, all-aluminum, mono-hull ferry is a further refinement of a vessel design concept optimized by Fire Island Ferries since the early 1970s to operate on the 20-minute crossing on the shallow Great South Bay. With an emphasis on economy, efficiency, and quick turn-around, there are large passenger doors mid-ship on the main deck.

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, has received an order for a new high-speed ferry from Fire Island Ferries, Inc., on the south shore of Long Island in New York. The vessel’s delivery is scheduled for June 2011. The new 387-passenger, all-aluminum mono-hull ferry is a further refinement of a vessel design concept optimized by Fire Island Ferries since the early 1970s to operate on the 20-minute crossing on the shallow Great South Bay. With an emphasis on economy, efficiency, and quick turn-around, there are large mid-ship passenger doors on the main deck. There is indoor seating for 204 passengers on the main deck and outdoor seating on the upper deck for another 183 passengers.