Marine Link
Friday, March 29, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Boston Harbor Cruises News

14 Nov 2019

Blue Atlantic Fabricators Wins Manufacturing Award

From left to right: Michael Julian, Rep. Adrian Madaro, Karl Julian (Photo: Blue Atlantic Fabricators)

Maritime focused steel and aluminum fabrication specialist Blue Atlantic Fabricators said it has been awarded as 2019 Manufacturer of the Year by the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership.Formed in August 2014, the Manufacturing Caucus and Annual Manufacturing Awards includes more than 60 legislators from around the state of Massachusetts. Lawmakers focus on training for manufacturing employees; encouraging innovation by helping start-ups access resources; and expanding education and apprenticeship opportunities in key manufacturing centers.

16 Aug 2019

Ferry Runs Aground in Boston Harbor

Coast Guard Station Point Allerton crew members respond during the grounding of the ferry Lightening in Boston Harbor, Friday, Aug. 16, 2019. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Station Point Allerton)

Four people were injured Friday morning when a Boston-bound ferry ran aground off Long Island in Boston Harbor, the U.S. Coast Guard said. At approximately 7:45 a.m., J.P. Vega, operations manager for Boston Harbor Cruises, reported to Coast Guard watchstanders that the ferry Lightening ran aground with 84 people aboard.The Coast Guard said it launched rescue crews from Station Boston and Point Allerton to assist in the response alongside state and local partner agencies.The four…

11 Jan 2019

Blue Atlantic Fabricators Launches Lovejoy Wharf Ferry & Water Taxi Dock

Boston Harbor Cruises’ new subsidiary is building for Massachusetts in the Commonwealth.Blue Atlantic Fabricators of East Boston, MA announces the fabrication and launch of a 50 ton, 20ft x 80ft floating dock to be located at Lovejoy Wharf in Boston. This all-steel dock, will be the facility for privately-run ferry and water taxi service between Lovejoy Wharf and Boston’s Seaport District, offering both bow-loading and side loading capabilities.Blue Atlantic Fabricators built the floating dock for C. White Marine, Inc. who, as general marine contractor for developer Related Beal, will finish and install the docking system at the multiuse Lovejoy Wharf property.

14 Feb 2018

Interview: Alison Nolan, GM, Boston Harbor Cruises

Alison Nolan, General Manager and a fourth-generation owner of Boston Harbor Cruises (Photo: BHC)

Alison Nolan is General Manager and a fourth-generation owner of Boston Harbor Cruises (BHC), a company that moves more than 2.5 million passengers annually on its fleet of 60 vessels with more than 600 daily departures seven ports and more than 30 facilities. But the story of BHC and Alison Nolan transcends raw numbers; as the company and passenger vessel industry are in her DNA, more of a lifestyle than a career. She spoke with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News recently to address the rewards and challenges inherent in her position.

28 Jul 2017

GPLink, Wheelhouse Partner on Maintenance & Tracking

gplink has announced a partnership with Wheelhouse Technologies, creating a comprehensive perspective on vessel upkeep through seamless integration to the Wheelhouse marine maintenance system. Pleasure craft, commercial vessel, and fleet owners can now enjoy the benefits of real-time vessel monitoring, tracking and support, from gplink along with a simple and easy-to-use interface; charting the course to proper vessel maintenance, spare parts management, and document tracking.

30 May 2016

Wedding Cruise Ship Runs Aground in Boston

The Boston Harbor Cruises' Majesty ran aground in Boston Harbor on Saturday. All 137 passengers were unharmed and transferred to the Asteria, another Boston Harbor Cruises vessel, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. One couple's wedding reception was going aboard as the boat turned into disaster when their vessel ran aground. New husband Jamie Stern  said the guests were just finishing dinner around 7 pm when the celebration came to a halt as the ship neared Georges Island. The 113-foot Boston Harbor Cruises ship will be inspected by Coast Guard marine inspectors and investigation officers. The ship did not appear to have been damaged Saturday when it ran aground near Georges Island about 7 p.m., the Coast Guard said.

08 Feb 2016

PVA Elects 2016 Leadership

Margo Marks (Photo: PVA)

During the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2016 held January 23-26 in Crystal City, Va., members of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) elected Margo Marks of Beaver Island Boat Company, Beaver Island, Mich. as PVA President for 2016. Margo Marks is President/General Manager of Beaver Island Boat Company, Beaver Island, Mich. The company has provided passenger service, vehicle service and freight service between Beaver Island and Charlevoix, Mich. since 1984. The first ferry service to the island began in 1890.

17 Sep 2015

Boston Harbor Cruises Named a Top Small Business

This summer, BHC’s high-speed catamaran Salacia, known as the Provincetown Fast Ferry, made its maiden voyage after undergoing a $2.6 million engine refit. (Photo: BHC)

The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce has named passenger vessels operator Boston Harbor Cruises (BHC) as the 2015 Small Business of the Year Awards top honoree. The Small Business of the Year Awards recognizes Greater Boston’s smaller for-profit companies, with annual gross revenues of more than $1 million, who display strong financial performance, achievement in management, workplace excellence, product innovation and community and social responsibility. BHC operates a fleet of 48 vessels on a seasonal daily excursion schedule that includes Boston Harbor sightseeing cruises…

09 Jun 2015

BHC Fast Ferry Returns After Engine Refit

Salacia (Photo courtesy of BHC)

Boston Harbor Cruises’ (BHC) Provincetown fast ferry, Salacia, has returned to service following an almost $3 million engine refit which saw the vessel in dry dock from January through May 2015. BHC commissioned the installation of four MTU 12V4000M64 engines from Stewart & Stevenson Power Products, LLC. The engines were manufactured by Rolls Royce Power Systems subsidiary MTU, and assembled in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The MTU engines will reduce Salacia’s diesel emissions while increasing efficiency and reliability.

03 Mar 2015

Winter in US Northeast Takes a Toll on Ferries

Photo: The Boston Harbor Association

With its black hull rumbling against a field of broken ice, the Warren Jr. slowly eased away from a dock in the Boston suburb of Hingham on Tuesday, aiming to clear a path for some of the four ferries that carry commuters from here into the city each day. But in a sign of how long Massachusetts has been gripped by freezing temperatures, no other vessels followed, as the tide narrowed the channel behind the oceangoing supply boat pressed into service as an icebreaker. It was the…

02 Feb 2015

Boston Harbor Cruises Ferry to Undergo $2.6m Engine Refit

Salacia (Photo: Boston Harbor Cruises)

Boston Harbor Cruises’ Provincetown Ferry, the Salacia will be drydocked from January thru March 2015 to undergo a $2.6 million dollar engine refit. Boston Harbor Cruises (BHC) has purchased four MTU 12V4000M64 engines from Stewart & Stevenson. The engines, manufactured by Rolls Royce Power Systems subsidiary MTU, and assembled in Friedrichshafen, Germany, have been completed and successfully tested and are currently on a container ship headed for Boston. According to BHC, the Salacia will be the first EPA Tier III Certified Emissions Level vessel operating in Boston Harbor.

29 Jul 2014

USCG Assists Stranded Charter Vessel

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) crews are assisting a disabled passenger vessel approximately 13 miles east of Nahant, Massachusetts, Monday. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Boston received notification at approximately 4:30 p.m., that the 83-foot passenger vessel Cetacea had a line entangled in its propeller and was disabled with 163 people aboard. The Coast Guard Cutter Tybee, Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba, and a Coast Guard Station Gloucester, Massachusetts, small boat crew have responded and are on scene. The Escanaba is providing medical personnel to evaluate the passengers and crew for medical concerns and assist if necessary. Boston Harbor Cruises has a vessel with divers scheduled to attempt to clear the line from the propeller Tuesday morning.

04 Apr 2013

Bluefin Completes DARPA UUV Deep Testing

Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV): Photo credit Bluefin Robotics

Bluefin Robotics has successfully completed deep-water testing of a specialized Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The system was developed under a Phase II subcontract from Applied Physical Sciences Corp. (APS) for the Deep Sea Operations (DSOP) Program. DSOP is part of DARPA's Distributed Agile Submarine Hunting program (DASH), which aims to develop affordable distributed technology to address Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) surveillance needs over large, operationally relevant areas.

30 Jul 2012

34m Boat Delivered to Rhode Island Fast Ferry

A 34m Catamaran Passenger Ferry, Ava Pearl, designed by Incat Crowther and built by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding , was delivered to Rhode Island Fast Ferry, where it will contribute to an expansion of operations. As a long-time operator of Incat Crowther ferries, Rhode Island Fast Ferry turned to Gladding Hearn and Incat Crowther to develop and build a ferry with twin engines and propellers, with a view to more efficient operation. Designed specifically for the operation, the lighter, simpler vessel is driven by propellers.

08 Oct 2001

Self-Cleaning Filter System Cuts Maintenance Costs

A routine oil and filter change in the tight quarters of the engine room onboard a boat is normally a messy and awkward job. Buckets of used lube oil and filter cartridges must be lugged up the narrow galley stairs for disposal and new oil and filters must be carried down the stairs, all in the short time while the boat is in dock for maintenance. Boston Harbor Cruises found that Alfa Laval's Eliminator, an automatic self-cleaning filter system installed in combination with Cummins' Centinel system in its high-speed catamarans, saved $2,100 per engine per year in oil, filter and labor costs. With a total of three boats, each with four engines, equipped with the Eliminator, Boston Harbor Cruises save a total of $25,200 per year.

24 Jan 2002

From Small Commercial Shipyard to Premier

Local and state dignitaries convened on the Monmouth County waterfront to take part in the christening of the Gladding-Hearn built M/V Seastreak New Jersey, a 141-ft. (42.9-m), 400 passenger high speed catamaran which will provide daily commuter service from Atlantic Highlands, and Highlands, N.J., to Pier 11 (Wall Street) and East 34th Street in Manhattan. According to Geoffrey Ede of SeaStreak America, Inc., Seastreak New Jersey and its sister ship Seastreak New York are the fastest diesel powered ferries in the New York Harbor today with service speeds of approximately 45 mph. Our outstanding commuter service into New York will…

22 Dec 2000

Great Boats of 2000

Every year, MarineNews chooses a handful of vessels delivered in the past 12 months and bestows upon them the distinction of “Great Boats.” The boats are chosen for innovations in design, construction and utilization. Following are the 17 vessels or groups of vessels chosen as the Great Boats of 2000. Crowley Marine Services delivered Alert, Attentive, and Aware, a series of three 140-ft., 10,000-hp Prevention and Response Tugs (PRTs), to Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in Valdez, Alaska. Specifically designed and developed for Alyeska, the boats will be used by Crowley in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System trade. Alert was deployed in February; Attentive was delivered in June, and Aware was delivered in July.

17 Jun 2002

Salacia Returns to Boston

Boston Harbor Cruises recently completed the first successful ferry service between St. Thomas and St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Salacia, the largest of the company’s high-speed catamarans, built by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, returned to Boston, having carried from 200 to 700 passengers daily between the islands from November til early May. Until now, islanders normally traveled between the islands by plane. While not the first vessel to attempt this run, Salacia is the first to succeed. “This is probably the most difficult ferry route in the country,” explained Chris Nolan, Boston Harbor Cruises’ managing partner. “The easterly winds blow 15 to 20 knots. The seas were three to five feet eighty percent of the time and would frequently increase to six to eight [feet].

03 Feb 2000

Gladding-Hearn to Deliver Largest Incat Fast Ferry

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, The Duclos Corporation, has begun construction of a new all-aluminum catamaran, which will join three other high-speed ferries built by the shipyard for Boston-based Boston Harbor Cruises. Measuing 142.6 ft. (43.4 m). on the deck, 39 ft. (11.8 m) abeam and carrying 500 passengers, the new vessel will be the largest Incat-designed fast ferry in the country, said shipyard officials. Delivery is scheduled for next June. Designed for commuter service, whale watching and passenger coastal excursions by Australia-based Incat Designs, the ferry's stylish lines resemble a modern megayacht. The architectural style was deliberate, says Peter Duclos, who heads the shipyard's business development.

26 Jan 2000

Gladding-Hearn to Deliver Largest Incat Fast Ferry

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, The Duclos Corporation, has begun construction of a new all-aluminum catamaran, which will join three other high-speed ferries built by the shipyard for Boston-based Boston Harbor Cruises. Measuing 142.6 ft. on the deck, 39 ft. abeam and carrying 500 passengers, the new vessel will be the largest Incat-designed fast ferry in the country, said shipyard officials. Delivery is scheduled for next June. Designed for commuter service, whale watching and passenger coastal excursions by Australia-based Incat Designs, the ferry's stylish lines resemble a modern megayacht. The architectural style was deliberate, says Peter Duclos, who heads the shipyard's business development.

14 Jan 2000

Gladding-Hearn Delivering Fast Ferry

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, The Duclos Corporation, has begun construction of a new all-aluminum catamaran, which will join three other high-speed ferries built by the shipyard for Boston-based Boston Harbor Cruises. Measuing 142.6 ft. on the deck, 39 ft. abeam and carrying 500 passengers, the new vessel will be the largest Incat-designed fast ferry in the country, said shipyard officials. Delivery is scheduled for next June. Designed for commuter service, whale watching and passenger coastal excursions by Australia-based Incat Designs. The vessel's forward windows, for example, are vertical to allow for more interior space than sloped forward windows generally found on most fast ferries today.

23 Aug 2001

Gladding-Hearn Delivers Premiere High Speed Passenger Cat

Commencing this summer, passengers traveling from Point Judith to Block Island, R.I. by ferry, can, for the first time, make the trip in about half the time. In July, Island Hi-Speed Ferry received a new 99-ft. (30.4 m) Athena, a high-speed catamaran ferry built by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding. The 250-passenger fast ferry has a top speed of 34 knots when loaded with a dwt of 18.6 tons, and completes the 12-mile ocean crossing in about 22 minutes, according to shipyard officials. Designed for commuter and tourist service by Incat Designs of Sydney, Australia, the ferry is operated by the start up company partnered with Boston Harbor Cruises.

08 Aug 2001

Ready to Burn: Fast Ferry Market Looks Good

Predicting business trends in the notoriously fickle marine business is difficult if not impossible. Yet when developments transpire as they have in the fast craft niche of the ferry business, it is difficult to not read the writing on the wall. The business of designing, building, outfitting and operating fast ferries in the United States is set to take off, as increasing pressures from traffic and environmental concerns force more people to the waterways. U.S. waterborne passenger transport already is large, according to Tim Kelley of Dalton & Kelley, who gave a presentation on the matter at the 17th Fast Ferry Conference, held March 13-15, 2001 in New Orleans. Currently there are 400 operators carrying more than 205 million passengers and 31 million vehicles annually. The largest U.S.