Bridgeport Port Jefferson Steamboat Company News

Much has changed since Marine News’ 2022 shipbuilding report published in March last year, and business opportunities in certain market segments continue to grow. But the shipyards that are looking to cash in are still facing many of the same challenges.For example, many American shipyards and their partners throughout the shipbuilding supply chain are still finding it difficult to attract and retain the workers they need. If you’re a skilled craftsperson looking for a job in shipbuilding, you’re in luck, because there are plenty of openings at shipyards across the country.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG) on March 9 hosted a keel authentication ceremony at its Allanton Shipyard in Panama City, Fla. for a new 302-foot auto and passenger ferry for the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company.Steel cutting for ESG Hull 228 commenced in January 2023 and a delivery is scheduled for 2024. The ferry will operate between Bridgeport, Conn. and Port Jefferson, N.Y.The ferry is based on the P.T. Barnum and Grand Republic auto and passenger ferries that Eastern Shipbuilding Group previously constructed for McAllister Towing and Transportation Co…

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…

Florida shipbuilder Eastern Shipbuilding Group has cut first steel for a new auto and passenger ferry for the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company.The new vessel, designed by Braintree, Mass.-based Gilbert Associates, is being constructed at Eastern's Allanton, Fla. shipyard and is scheduled for delivery in 2024.The 302-foot Subchapter H auto and passenger ferry will operate between Bridgeport, Conn. and Port Jefferson, N.Y. It will have capacity for 1,000 passengers and 124 cars…

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) today announced the designation of nine Marine Highway Projects and a Marine Highway Route that will benefit Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington State and American Samoa. Marine highways are navigable waterways that can be used as alternate options to traditional shipping methods. “The designation of marine highways by Congress will help move cargo and people to help grow the economy and shift freight off of congested highways,” said Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

McAllister Towing & Transportation operates a fleet of more than 75 tugboats, crew boats and barges in 17 locations along the U.S. East Coast from Portland, ME to San Juan, PR. The fleet consists of 28 Z-Drive/ Tractor tugs, 11 Tier II compliant tugs, 20 plus vessels involved in coastal towing and 35 ABS load line classed vessels. In each port, McAllister is engaged in ship docking, general harbor towing, coastal towing and bulk transportation. The firm has recently welcomed 3 new Z-Drive/ Tractor tugs as it continues to upgrade its already formidable fleet.

On September 17, McAllister Towing and Reinauer Transportation will be partnering with the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound and Sector New York in a major simulated marine accident and pollution incident on the waters of Long Island Sound. Responders will be faced with a simulated grounding and subsequent oil spill impacting the waters and shoreline of Connecticut and New York. The exercise is part of the National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP), a voluntary program bringing together industry and government to meet the exercise and preparedness requirements of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, legislation enacted following the Exxon Valdez.

Members of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) have elected Richard “Dick” Purinton as 2001 president. Also elected were Fredrick “Fred” Hall as vice president and Gary Frommelt as secretary-treasurer. Prior to becoming president, Purinton served as PVA vice president and secretary-treasurer. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he became president of the Great Lakes Ferry Boat Association. He has been with Washington Island Ferry Line since 1979, the year it joined PVA. Hall was vice president and general manager of Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company, which operates three, automobile and passenger ferry across the Long Island Sound to Bridgeport, Conn.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Panama City, Fla., has announced the contract signing with the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company, a subsidiary of McAllister Towing and Transportation Company, Inc., for the construction of the largest ferry vessel to be built for the East Coast in many years. The Ferry Company's latest ferry, designed by John W. Gilbert Associates, Inc., Boston, will operate between Bridgeport, Conn. and Port Jefferson, N.Y. The vessel will have a car and truck capacity of approximately 100 vehicles, and a passenger capacity of 1,000. The anticipated top speed of the ferry is 20 knots. The vessel will be powered with two EMD 16-645 E7B engines @ 90 rpm coupled to Reintjes gears. At 300 ft. overall length, with a 52 ft.