North Carolina Department Of Transportation News

The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division is looking into whether a second vessel maintenance facility could improve service to customers.Currently, the NCDOT Ferry Division has one maintenance facility, the Manns Harbor Shipyard in Dare County.The new planning study—funded by a $400,000 Federal Transit Administration grant, plus a $100,000 match from Ferry Division—will explore the conceptual site design for a larger, better equipped depot-level maintenance…

With travel and tourism nearing pre-2020 levels, and transit systems benefiting from a return to work, passenger vessels have seen renewed activity. In its year-end review, John Groundwater, Executive Director of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA), which advocates for the sector in Washington, D.C. wrote: “As we are nearing the end of the calendar year, we are delighted to report that our industry, and our members, are reporting far and wide that they have experienced very…

Lockport, La.-based Bollinger Shipyards has acquired Gulf Island Fabrication’s shipyard facilities in nearby Houma for approximately $28.6 million.The purchased site encompasses 437 acres on the west bank of the Houma Navigation Canal, of which 283 acres is unimproved land that is available for expansion. The facility includes 18,000 square feet of administrative and operations facilities, 160,000 square feet of covered fabrication facilities and 20,000 square feet of warehouse facilities. It also has 6,750 linear feet of water frontage, including 2,350 feet of steel bulkheads.

Brian E. Clark will take over as Executive Director of the North Carolina State Ports Authority following the retirement of Paul J. Cozza at the end of this year.Clark will continue to serve as North Carolina Ports' Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Executive Director, and Cozza as Executive Director, through December 31.Prior to joining NC Ports in June 2017, Clark served in various senior level positions throughout the maritime industry, including a role as Managing Director for APM Terminals at Port Elizabeth, N.J.

The first two American-made Voith Schneider Propeller (VSP) units have been delivered and installed in the Rodanthe ferry.Rodanthe is a ferry to be operated by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and used in its service to the Outer Banks, a string of barrier islands between North Carolina and the Atlantic Ocean.“With the new VSP units installed, the Rodanthe will offer years of smooth, efficient service to the islands. By linking steering and propulsion together, the VSP allows for fast response and precision movement in even the roughest of waters. This helps the operators pilot their ferry better while also keeping passengers and cargo safe thanks to the VSP’s superior handling in comparison to other propulsion systems available on the market…

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) said that Ocracoke Express ferry service between the state’s Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands is slated to debut on Tuesday, May 14.The Ocracoke Express will carry as many as 98 passengers on a speedy 70-minute trip from Hatteras directly into Ocracoke Village.Service will begin with three round-trips each day, with fares ranging from $5-15 round trip depending on time of travel. Children 3 and under can travel free with a parent or guardian.“Frankly, we can’t wait to get the Ocracoke Express underway”, said NCDOT Ferry Division Director Harold Thomas. “Not only will it be an easy way to get to Ocracoke…

The North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division has ordered a new river class vehicle ferry to be built at Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, La. for delivery by March 1, 2019. Designed by Elliott Bay Design Group, the 183-foot ferry with room for 38 regular-sized vehicles will replace M/V Thomas A. Baum, a 22-year-old Hatteras-class ferry that carries 26 vehicles. The vessel will be the NCDOT Ferry Division’s first new car ferry since the M/V Sea Level christened in 2012 (also designed by Elliott Bay Design Group).

The world of dredging is defined by the vast diversity of each assignment that contractors perform on any given day. Fortunately, DSC’s standard lineup of dredge equipment can be modified and customized to meet just about any job that needs doing. It wasn’t too long ago that retired U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Jim Loy told me, “If you’ve seen one port, well, you’ve seen one port.” That now-famous declaration was made in reference to port security in a post-9/11 world, but the quip is as valid now as it was when he said it during his tenure as Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. Similarly, it can also be said that if you’ve seen one dredging operation, well, then you’ve seen one dredging operation.

Domestic ferries adjust their business models to met regulatory pressures and exceed environmental standards with an eye towards improved service. And, not a minute too soon. In North America, stalwarts in the ferry business continue to shorten journey times compared to surface alternatives, while at the same time, bring accessibility to barrier and coastal islands that would otherwise be impossible to reach. Established stakeholders continually fine-tune their operations in a…

Despite of some of the lowest fuel prices experienced in the last eight years, demand for ferry construction is at a seemingly all time high. The focus on building new ferries kicked off in early 2013 and the sustained interest is the continued result of an unleashing of pent up demand. Fleets have been aging and infrastructure needs to be built up in order to accommodate the future demand for commuter ferry travel once fuel prices return to and surpass their once familiar norms.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation recently took delivery of a new, fully customized cutter suction dredge, which it christened the Dredge Manteo in a ceremony held April 28, 2016, at the at the NCDOT State Shipyard in Manns Harbor, N.C.. The 154-foot state-of-the-art pipeline dredge, designed and built by DSC Dredge, based in Reserve, La., will work to keep North Carolina’s state-maintained intercostal ferry channels clear, from the Cape Fear River near Wilmington to Currituck Sound near the North Carolina-Virginia state line.

The U.S. Coast Guard has transferred passengers off a grounded ferry in Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina. Coast Guard watchstanders were notified Monday afternoon that the North Carolina Department of Transportation ferry Roanoke ran aground with 16 vehicles, 23 passengers and seven crew members aboard. A 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew launched from Station Hatteras Inlet and is on scene to take passengers off the ferry and relocate them to Hatteras Ferry Terminal in Hatteras. There are no reported injuries and no report or evidence of damage or pollution.

A new freight and passenger ferry designed by Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) for Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket Steamship Authority (SSA) will be built at Conrad Shipyard in Morgan City, Louisiana. The new ferry, Woods Hole, will replace the M/V Govenor, the oldest vessel in the SSA's fleet. The new single-ended vessel will measure approximately 235 feet, have a total person capacity of 384 and a car deck that accommodates 55 standard vehicles or 10 tractor-trailer vehicles. The ferry will include a bow thruster and have a service speed of 14.5 knots.

Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG), a leading naval architecture and marine engineering firm with offices in Seattle, New Orleans and Ketchikan, Alaska, today announced that the new freight and passenger ferry it designed for the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket Steamship Authority (SSA) will be built at Conrad Shipyard in Morgan City, Louisiana. “Conrad Shipyard is proud to have been selected along with EBDG to deliver this vessel," said Terry Frickey, C.O.O. of Conrad Shipyard. "Both companies are steeped in a rich tradition of quality and integrity. The new ferry, WOODS HOLE, will replace the M/V GOVERNOR, the oldest vessel in the SSA's fleet.

The State of North Carolina has the nation's second largest ferry system. Only the State of Washington's system is larger. Its 23 vessels annually carry 2.5 million passengers and one million vehicles. The ferry system is operated by the Ferry Division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation, which employs approximately 380 permanent employees. This number increase to approximately 450 during the summer season. There are four ferry routes on three bodies of water connecting the mainland with the offshore islands of Ocracoke, Hatteras and Notts Islands. Three routes cross the Cape Fear, Neuse and Pamlico Rivers. The Ferry Division also has a dredge, tugs, fuel barge and its own shipyard located in Manns Harbor.

According to an October 10 report from The Virginian Pilot, two sister vessels will soon join the family of ferries transporting passengers and vehicles across North Carolina's coastal waterways. The North Carolina Department of Transportation awarded a $14.9m contract to Orange Shipbuilding Co. in Orange, Texas, to build a ferry capable of carrying 300 passengers and 50 vehicles across the Pamlico Sound. The project is being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. (Source: The Virginian Pilot)

Conrad Industries, Inc. announced the signing of new contracts, bringing current backlog to approximately $86m compared $41m at June 30, 2010, $38m at December 31, 2009 and $56.1m at September 30, 2009. New contracts include three 150-ft x 50-ft x 8-ft heavy load capacity equipment hauling barges for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In addition, the North Carolina Department of Transportation awarded a contract to Conrad for the construction of a 220-ft passenger and vehicle ferry for servicing the Pamlico Sound routes between Cedar Island and Ocracoke, and Ocracoke and Swan Quarter. The vessel is capable of transporting 300 passengers and 50 vehicles, and is similar to the vessel currently under construction at our shipyard in Orange, Texas.

RALEIGH —The North Carolina Department of Transportation today announced the launch of the North Carolina Maritime Strategy planning study. The Governor’s Logistics Task Force recommended a study be initiated to evaluate the current and future role ports play, if any, in sustaining North Carolina’s efforts to create jobs and strengthen the economy across the State. “The study provides us the opportunity to take an objective look at the future of the maritime industry in North Carolina and assess these options with a fresh set of eyes,” said Lt.

Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG), a naval architecture and marine engineering firm with offices in Seattle, New Orleans and Ketchikan, Ala., has been selected by the New York Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) to design a new class of ferries that will operate between the boroughs of Staten Island and Manhattan. The project scope consists of a complete design package, including contract drawings, specifications and other documents for vessels to replace the existing Barberi and Kennedy Class ferries. Also included in the scope are modifications to the existing Molinari Class ferries to retrofit a new propulsion system, something the city says is necessary to establish consistency between the new ferries and those that will remain in the fleet. Senator Charles E.

The Coast Guard responded Monday to an allision between a 58-foot charter boat with nine people aboard and the Bonner Bridge in Oregon Inlet, N.C. A concerned boater aboard the vessel West Wind witnessed the allision and contacted Coast Guard Sector North Carolina watchstanders via VHF-FM marine radio channel 16 at approximately 5:45 a.m., stating that the charter boat, Sandra D, struck one of the support pilings of the bridge, resulting in a five-foot by 10-foot hole in the boat's bow and possible injuries to three of the passengers aboard.

The passenger vessel market is a classic mature marine market. Segments of it are doing well, while other parts have literally died. For example, the overnight segment of the market saw one substantial vessel delivered in 2003 with none on the horizon for 2004. The Empress of the North, a 360-ft. sternwheeler was put into service in September working the West Coast-Alaska route. Now that ice is a problem in Alaska, the vessel is working the Columbia River system in the Northwest U.S. The vessel was the largest vessel ever built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Freeland, Wash. and is owned by American West Steamboat Company, Portland, Ore. Developing overnight service is the most difficult part of the passenger vessel industry to get established.

Many public safety dive teams, police and sheriffs departments, and government agencies are acquiring side scan sonar systems to assist in their underwater search and survey operations. Side scan is the ideal tool for these operations because it produces detailed images of the underwater environment regardless of water clarity. In addition, the sonar is able to search large areas quickly, scanning several hundred feet of ocean, lake, or river bottom with each pass of the boat. Side scan can easily locate a variety of targets including sunken boats, submerged vehicles, and drowning victims.

Conrad Industries, Inc. (Pink Sheets: CNRD) announced that it has been awarded a contract for the construction of a passenger/vehicle ferry with a value of $13m, which brings the current backlog to approximately $56.8m compared to $40.6m at June 30, 2009, $56.3m at December 31, 2008 and $74.8m at September 30, 2008. The North Carolina Department of Transportation awarded the contract to Conrad for the construction of a 220-ft passenger and vehicle ferry for service between the Cedar Island, NC and the Ocracoke Island, NC terminals. The vessel is capable of transporting 300 passengers and 50 vehicles, and will be built at our shipyard in Orange, Texas.