Ferry District News

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced over $653 million to fund 41 port improvement projects across the nation under the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).The investments—part of the largest dedicated funding for ports and waterways in history, nearly $17 billion through the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—are intended to help grow capacity and increase efficiency at coastal seaports, Great Lakes ports and inland…

It all adds up to the global effort to strengthen bottom lines, safety margins and the collective environmental footprint. The future for ferries seems to be on fire; both in good ways and bad. The good is always a good place to start. And, that’s because it is ferry fabrication time. The most notable ferry routes in America are jumping into the construction queue for new vessels and soon the next generation of ferry vessels will be hitting the piers (not literally of course).

The King County Ferry District, whose ferries link the communities that ring Lake Washington and Puget Sound, has contracted with Bellingham-based All American Marine to design and build two new 'water taxis' to replace its pair of 25 year-old leased vessels. The operators explain that the new vessels will each carry 250 passengers, 78 more than the vessels they will replace. That added capacity means more passengers will be able to use the water taxis during the busiest weekday commute periods.

U.S. Fab, a Vigor Industrial company, has delivered the purpose-built vessel to Washington’s King County for the use of its passenger ferry fleet. The 140’x40’x7’6” barge features moorage for up to four vessels and two steel structures, one that houses a well-equipped maintenance workshop and the other a two-story office and crew quarters. “This was an interesting project that required teams to integrate two different building classification standards while maintaining optimal cost efficiencies,” explained Bryan Nichols, Sales and Marketing Manager for Vigor Industrial.

Bay Ship & Yacht announces they will soon complete the full refit of the Golden Gate Ferry, Marin. The vessel arrived in the shipyard on November 13, 2006, and will soon be back serving the commuters of the San Francisco Bay Area from its berth in Larkspur. Passengers who ride the Marin daily will be pleased to hear that the ferry had a complete remodel of the passenger seating, interior bulkhead linings, new carpet and vinyl flooring and overhead ceilings, ventilation, lighting, and exterior windows. Also included were new fresh water and sanitary systems, electrical systems, and a complete repainting of the vessel exterior. An important part of Marin refit was to install new additions…

Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MARK EASTER, age 54, of 152 Gager Road, Bozrah, Connecticut, waived indictment and pleaded guilty today to illegally causing raw sewage and untreated sludge to be discharged into the Thames River and Long Island Sound. EASTER’s plea of guilty was accepted this afternoon by United States Magistrate Judge Thomas P. Smith in Hartford. Under the terms of the plea agreement, if accepted by Magistrate Judge Smith, EASTER will serve a term of imprisonment of 30 days. In addition, he faces a maximum fine in the amount of $25,000 per day. “This crime against the environment occurred for several years, and thousands of gallons of raw sewage were knowingly deposited directly into our waterways,” U.S.