Ferry Building News

A new high-speed passenger vessel entered service for the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) on Monday.The newbuild, Dorado, is the first in a series of four new ferries being built for WETA by Mavrik Marine in La Conner, Wash. Construction on the second vessel in the Dorado class, Delphinus, is underway. Vessel construction was funded through the Federal Transit Administration and the State of California’s Proposition 1B in collaboration with the California Office of Emergency Services.

As maritime digests a number of historical changes, Norway’s Fjellstrand shipyard wants to put aside the rule book and look at the whole process in a new way, reducing engineering costs up to 70% and production costs up to 20%.The process of designing and building a ship, even in today’s highly standardized mass manufacturing environment, remains largely a one-off, one-of-a-kind design and build. Ships are most often built to a shipowner’s or operator’s specific requirements, which are often based on fixed parameters such as speed…

UK shipbuilder Wight Shipyard Co has completed its second export order. The order placed by Ultramar, the largest ferry operator in Mexico, consists of two 37m fast ferries which will be transported to Cancun Mexico at the beginning of July.The critical issues for these newbuilds were timely delivery and the weight saving target that needed to be achieved. Fuel costs are high in Mexico and are of paramount importance to Ultramar. The vessels were designed by Incat Crowther, which…

A UK shipbuilder known for building high-speed ferries aims to enter the offshore wind market with a new line of wind farm support vessels (WFSV).Wight Shipyard Co (WSC) said its Vortisea brand of vessels, designed in collaboration with Australian naval architect Incat Crowther, is specifically geared toward European and UK wind farms, particularly those further offshore.“It’s fitting that being so well established in the fast ferry sector we have chosen to enter the WFSV market. There is still a niche to be filled.

British shipyard Cammell Laird will has announced at the Nor-Shipping trade fair in Oslo ambitious plans to disrupt the new-build ferry market with a new specially designed Ro-Pax ferry.Liverpool City Region based Cammell Laird is releasing a sneak picture preview  of the commercial sensitive design ahead of a formal launch later this year and will be briefing prospective customers on the design at its stand.Cammell Laird’s project director Andy Askham said the company believes its innovative…

UK shipbuilder Wight Shipyard Co has been appointed to develop the fleet of Arksen series vessels including the Arksen 70, Arksen 85 and Arksen 100.Arksen is developing, building and supporting semi-autonomous, hybrid explorer vessels,  designed from the ground up to have the least impact on the environment and take adventurers to the most inaccessible corners of the world’s oceans.The team also comprising fellow south coast businesses Humphreys Yacht Design (exterior) and Design Unlimited (interior).“Ship building on the Isle of Wight goes back hundreds of years. The Isle of Wight builds the finest aluminium vessels in the world and this explorer yacht range fits perfectly alongside our high-speed ferry building operation…

As maritime digests a number of historical changes, Norway’s Fjellstrand shipyard wants to put aside the rule book and look at the whole process in a new way, reducing engineering costs up to 70% and production costs up to 20%.The process of designing and building a ship, even in today’s highly standardized mass manufacturing environment, remains largely a one-off, one-of-a-kind design and build. Ships are most often built to a shipowner’s or operator’s specific requirements, which are often based on fixed parameters such as speed…

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the cause of a ferry allision that occurred at the San Francisco Ferry Building Friday afternoon.A crew member aboard the ferry San Francisco notified Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders of the allision around 2:40 p.m.There were reports of two minor injuries that did not require treatment beyond first aid and no reports of pollution.Photos published by the San Francisco Chronicle showed that the vessel suffered significant hull damage.The ferry's operator Golden Gate Ferry, a division of the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District, said it will operate on a normal schedule Monday. "We will cover regularly scheduled trips with other vessels in our fleet as the M.S.

If you want to book a plush river cruise vacation in America’s heartland – say on the Mississippi or Ohio Rivers – you can do it. The American Queen Steamboat Company’s website offers as many as 13 river cruises in 2018. Certainly, the ‘bourbon cruise,’ aboard the lavish American Duchess sounds like fun. Or, maybe next year you can sign up for the nine-day ‘Derby Cruise.’ And, next year means 2019 because the 2018 cruise is sold out. Maybe the most fun is that passengers themselves…

Conrad Shipyard of Morgan City, Louisiana has been awarded a contract by Power Engineering Construction Company of Alameda, California to build several components for the Water Emergency Transportation Authority’s (WETA) San Francisco Ferry Expansion Project. Construction will be completed at Conrad’s Orange, Texas shipyard. Johnny Conrad, Chairman, President and CEO made the announcement: “This new business is in addition to a barge that we currently have under construction for Power Engineering Construction and we appreciate their continued confidence.

With an array of about 20 boats being built in assembly-line-like manner, the Guangdong Bonny Fair Heavy Industry shipyard (formerly known as Guangdong New China Shipyard) is a model of efficiency. Three ferries are fitting out alongside. Designed by the Australian firm Sea Transport Solutions, the 50 by 17.5-meter catamarans are each powered by four 485 kW diesels with two in each hull. A pair of Cummins 6BT 5.9-liter diesels powering a 55 kW generator in each hull meet electric needs.

New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie, State Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, Monmouth County Freeholder Director Thomas Arnone, NY Waterway President & Founder Arthur E. Imperatore and Yank Marine President & Founder John C. Yank Jr. of Tuckahoe today announced an $11 million contract to build two state-of-the-art ferries, the first NY Waterway ferries built in the Garden State since the Weehawken-based ferry service started service December 3, 1986. The new catamaran ferries, financed by NY Waterway…

With the announcement that the BART Strike is on, the SF Bay Ferry has implemented increased service on most routes. Enhanced service will begin with a 5 a.m. Vallejo departure to San Francisco on Friday, October 18. See sanfranciscobayferry.com for all BART strike schedules. The BART strike service schedules will be in effect until BART formally announces the strike is called off. If a partial day mid-day strike occurs, San Francisco Bay Ferry will operate its strike schedule for the whole day and will return to its regular schedule the next morning. Weekend BART strike service will be provided to/from the Vallejo, Oakland, San Francisco and Alameda Main Street terminals.

With the announcement that BART Unions and BART management have requested an extension of their negotiations for another day, the SF Bay Ferry will continue with its regular weekday schedule Wednesday, October 16. If a partial day midday strike occurs, San Francisco Bay Ferry will operate its strike schedule for the whole day and will return to its regular schedule the next morning. Weekend BART strike service will be provided to/from the Vallejo, Oakland, San Francisco and Alameda Main Street terminals.

San Francisco Bay Ferry is preparing its staff and crew for a potential August 5 BART strike. Expanding the number of boats in operation during the last BART strike from 12 to 13, including two boats on-loan from Golden Gate Ferry. Normally, only eight boats are in SF Bay Ferry service. Adding an additional landing at Golden Gate Ferry¹s San Francisco Ferry Building facility to help reduce dock congestion and carry more passengers. Increasing runs between Oakland Jack London Square, Alameda Main Street and Harbor Bay, Vallejo and the Ferry Building.

SF Bay Ferry carried more than triple its normal passenger load on the 1st morning of the BART strike. Morning ferry commute runs on services between San Francisco Ferry Building; Vallejo; Oakland’s Jack London Square; Alameda Main Street; Harbor Bay; South San Francisco and Pier 41 saw a surge in passenger numbers on Monday, July 1, 2013, the first day of the BART workers' strike. SF Bay Ferry report that the normal average commute would have been 2,500 passenger for the morning, but in fact 7,835 commuters took the ferries to work.

The American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) 2013 Cruise Seminar in San Francisco, April 24-26, will kick off with a candid look inside the cruise industry from the perspective of four key cruise line executives and end with a tour of the Port of San Francisco to see the impact of the America’s Cup on port operations. In between these bookend sessions, seminar participants will be treated to a host of presentations ranging from new international regulations on ship air emissions to itinerary planning, cruise facility design, financing and joint-use terminal opportunities.

Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) announced the arrival of the eco-friendly ferry, Gemini, in San Francisco Bay on November 25. WETA invites the public to an open house aboard the Gemini, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on December 12 at Gate E, San Francisco Ferry Building. • Enhanced safety and security measures include: CCTV, voyage data recorder, added CEDs onboard. Surpasses T-Boat requirements for life saving apparatus.

The town of Sibu developed its vibrant fast ferry building tradition in the decades after World War II. But it is only more recently that the vessels' fame and their designs have grown to the point that the little town on Sarawak's Rejan River is supplying fast ferries for much of southeast Asia. Most of the ferries that ply the rivers of the area are single engined. Many of those that have been supplied to China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia are larger twin engine versions of the same trim "banana" boat style. Notable for their exaggerated rake and strong bow flare, the narrow craft are equally adept at handling the narrow confines of river travel and the long swells of the South China sea.

The town of Sibu developed its vibrant fast ferry building tradition in the decades after World War II. But it is only more recently that the vessels' fame and their designs have grown to the point that the little town on Sarawak's Rejan River is supplying fast ferries for much of southeast Asia. Most of the ferries that ply the rivers of the area are single engined. Many of those that have been supplied to China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia are larger twin engine versions of the same trim "banana" boat style. Notable for their exaggerated rake and strong bow flare, the narrow craft are equally adept at handling the narrow confines of river travel and the long swells of the South China sea.

The State of North Carolina has been very good to shipbuilding companies along the Gulf Coast. In the last 10 years, nearly a dozen ferries have been built or substantially modernized in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. In just the past two years, the second largest state ferry system in the nation has built two 180-ft. car/passenger ferries and substantially renovated two additional vessels. The two new ferries are literally carbon copies of each other. "They were built from the same set of plans, so it is difficult to get two vessels any more similar than that," said Dan Noe, manager of quality assurance for the North Carolina Ferry Division.

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding’s fast ferry building expertise has taken an unusual turn, with the testing of a new torpedo-launching system for the U.S. Navy. Systems Engineering Associates Corporation (SEA CORP) of Middletown, R.I., chartered Millennium, the 125-ft. Incat-designed high-speed passenger ferry owned by Rhode Island Fast Ferry and built by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard in 1998 in May, to test an experimental surface torpedo launching system under development by NAVSEA.

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding's fast ferry building expertise has taken an unusual turn, with the testing of a new torpedo-launching system for the U.S. Navy. Systems Engineering Associates Corporation (SEA CORP) of Middletown, R.I., chartered Millennium, the 125-ft. Incat-designed high-speed passenger ferry owned by Rhode Island Fast Ferry and built by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard in 1998 in May, to test an experimental surface torpedo launching system under development by NAVSEA. The catamaran's 37-knot light speed and open third deck were ideally suited to simulate launching from a destroyer or carrier deck. Using their 3-D Finite Element Modeling (FEM) capability…