NY Waterway Christens New Ferry Arthur E. Imperatore

New York Waterway on Monday christened its new vessel Arthur E. Imperatore, named in honor of the company's late founder. The vessel will provide scenic tours of New York Harbor in addition to commuter transportation.

Built locally by Yank Marine in Tuckahoe, N.J., the Arthur E. Imperatore is a brand new, low-emission 2,000-horsepower, Tier 3 compliant ferry designed to carry 600 passengers. The vessel has a service speed of 21 knots. 

One of the largest and most modern commuter ferries in the New Jersey-New York Harbor, the vessel is 109 feet long and 32 feet wide, but draws just six feet of water depth, reducing the need for dredging near piers, NY Waterway said.

“It was Arthur Imperatore’s bold vision that resulted in the transformation of the Weehawken waterfront and revitalized ferry passage across the Hudson. It is only fitting that this great new ship should bear his name,” said NY Waterway CEO Armand Pohan.

Imperatore founded NY Waterway in 1986, building the company into the nation’s largest privately-owned commuter ferry service. He passed away in 2020.

The ceremony christening NY Waterways newest vesel in Imperatore's honor took place at Weehawken’s Port Imperial Ferry Terminal and was attended by more than 100 guests, including NJ TRANSIT CEO Kevin Corbett, Mayor Ravi Bhalla of Hoboken, Mayor Michael McPartland of Edgewater, Assemblywoman Annette Chaparro and a representative of Senator Robert Menendez, who joined New York Waterway staff and members of the Imperatore family at Port Imperial.

Imperatore’s granddaughter Emma Thompson performed the traditional champagne bottle breaking for the ferry christening.

Corbett delivered remarks, acknowledging the impact of Imperatore and NY Waterway’s contributions to transportation in and around the New Jersey-New York Harbor. Senator Menendez Staffer Jacob Roth read a letter from the Senator.