Worldwide Ferry Safety Association News

Following the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association’s (WFSA) Professional Program (held virtually on May 18, 2022), Awards were presented to finalist teams in the WFSA’s Ferry Design Competition, now in its ninth year.Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, WFSA’s Executive Director, said the specifications for the design ferry were crafted to be ever more challenging from year to year, but that this year’s objective creating a safe and affordable ferry for transiting India’s Brahmaputra River, “that…

Vessels fashioned in a 3D printer, rather than a shipyard, will be the subject of a presentation at a Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) event. The virtual gathering, Innovations in Ferry Design and Vessel Construction, will be held in conjunction with the presentation of awards inWFSA’s Annual Student Design Competition, now in its ninth year, to be held on May 18, 2022.The keynote speaker, Dr. Habib Dagher, from the University of Maine, Advanced Structures and Composites Sector, will talk about the Center’s design and construction of the world’s largest 3D printed vessels.

Since the 1980s there has been a remarkable revival of ferry services in many U.S. waterfront cities, but COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the most profitable component of these services: the commuter runs. With post-COVID work-at-home arrangements and part-week in-office work, these ferry services have suffered a tremendous loss of income. But there are glimmers of hope that a recovery is likely, although in a different form, in a different world.Commuter runs are often the bread and butter portion of a ferry services…

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) has announced the winners of the 8th Annual International Student Design Competition for a Safe, Affordable Ferry.Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, WFSA’s Executive Director, said: “This year, the students were tasked with designing a RoPax ferry to carry around 300 passengers, many of whom prefer the use of outdoor hammocks, plus vehicles and cargo on the Amazon River between Manaus and Tefé ona trip that is to last 20 hours. Because of the continuing spread of Covid 19 in Brazil and its transmission via river transport…

Joe Hudspeth is the Director of Business Development for Global Marine at BAE Systems in Endicott, N.Y. BAE Systems offers complete, efficient propulsion and auxiliary power systems utilizing electric technology. Hudspeth has been involved with maritime sales, marketing and product development since 2000. He currently serves as a regional co-chairman for the Passenger Vessel Association, is a judge for the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association student design competition, and frequently speaks and writes on maritime and ferry related issues. Hudspeth lives in Bellingham, Wash.

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) said it is adding new requirements for its 8th Annual International Student Design Competition for a Safe Affordable Ferry, in an action reflecting the unprecedented developments of 2020. This year, students have been tasked with designing a RoPax ferry for the Amazon River, between Manaus and Tefé, some 200 miles further inland.Due to the widespread impacts of COVID-19, the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association is asking registered and…

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) is pleased to announce that winners have been selected for its 2019 Ferry Design Competition. The awards will be presented at WFSA’s Ferry Safety and Technology Conference, which will be be held in Bangkok February 20‐22, 2019. In the contest, student teams were tasked with designing a passenger ferry for the Pasig River, the locus of commercial and public activities in Manila. Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, Executive Director of WFSA, had…

The 5th Annual Ferry Safety and Technology conference will be held in Bangkok Thailand on February 20‐22, 2019. The conference is designed to showcase the best practical technologies to improve safety particularly‐ but not solely, for the developing world.The conference is co‐hosted by the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) and the famed Chao Phraya River Boat Co. The conference features good news on multiple fronts: new high‐quality ferry systems; new development of inland waterways making them safe for ferries in India and Bangladesh (in a presentation by the World Bank)…

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) announces its sixth annual international student design competition for a safe affordable ferry, seeking designs for a passenger vessel to traverse the iconic Pasig River of Metropolitan Manila. Metropolitan Manila, composed of 18 municipalities (including the City of Manila), is a flourishing vibrant joyous city with a total population of 24 million people. The metro area would benefit from a ferry system to relieve congestion. The City of Manila itself (population 1.8 million) has the distinction of being considered the most densely populated city on earth. Like many other modern cities Metro Manila is rediscovering its river for passenger transport.

New routes, new challenges and plenty of newbuilding as 2017 gives way to the New Year. A year ago, the maritime industry could be found clinging to the edge of their seats to see what the coming year had in store. 2017 was set to be a telling year and indeed it was. With the elections finalized, the political impact, if any, was sure to be seen. While fuel prices have remained low and continuing to hamper the offshore workboat market, consumer confidence has held high and new vessel construction is strong – particularly in the ferry segment.

In October the world’s ferry operators gathered in Split Croatia for the Forty Second Annual Interferry Conference. The 470 or so delegates represented 210 operators and support companies from 27 countries. A trade show included firms from around the world including shipbuilders, naval architects, equipment suppliers, training and others of the diverse group that make up the ferry industry. In a panel on Mediterranean Ferries, Philippe Holthof, of the Belgian-based Shipax explained the huge size and complexity of the fleet.

The WORLDWIDE FERRY SAFETY ASSOCIATION (WFSA) has announced that entries will be now accepted for its annual student competition for the design of a safe and affordable ferry. The  upcoming  contest  is  focused  on  designing a  passenger ferry for  the Singapore  Strait between  Indonesia,  Malaysia  and  Singapore. This  narrow  waterway  sees  dense  vessel traffic, with numerous vessel anchorages creating additional challenges for safe navigation. The previous competitions, where a first prize of $5,000 was awarded to the winning student teams were to design: a passenger ferry for the Bangladesh river system; an inter-island  RoPax  for  Papua  New  Guinea;  an  inter-island  RoPax  for  Indonesia;  and  an  urban passenger  ferry  for  Bangkok,  Thailand.

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) has announced the winners of its 2017 competition for the design of a safe and affordable ferry, chosen by a panel of judges. The awards will be presented on May 11, at WFSA’s Ferry Safety & Technology Conference. Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, the Executive Director of the WFSA, said, “Urban linear ferries like Bangkok and New York are in growth mode everywhere. The students have garnered useful experience, especially the awardees, in designing for a growing market.

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) will host its upcoming Ferry Safety and Technology Conference May 11 and 12 in downtown New York. Besides the awards to winners of the Ferry Design Competition, there are many reasons to attend the conference. Below are a dozen. 1 - Learn about innovative new ferry systems in Africa, Asia and North America – ferry systems from which we can learn and that will need safety, communications, IT, training – equipment and services. 2- Listen to ferry operators from Bangkok, Manila and Abidjan as they speak about their challenges and successes.

There is a convergence of new advances in technology for ferries AND quantum leaps in ferry operations in Asia, Africa and North America. Can operating a ferry be made better safer and cheaper? Yes, says technology. What’s exciting about this year’s Ferry Safety and Technology conference, the Third Annual, is the promise of technology – how telematics, affordable sensors, and graphic visualization – enhance safety, and vastly benefit the quality and cost of operations. This isn’t a conference for nerds and geeks – it’s for those of who need to use technology to understand it.

Mark your calendars- Ferry Safety & Technology Conference, May 11- May 12, in New York. The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association is now gearing up for its 2017 Ferry Safety & Technology Conference, which will be held May 11 – 12, at the Pier A (overlooking New York harbor) in downtown Manhattan. Technology is driving change in all facets of the maritime business; in the ferry sector, which provides the primary means of transportation in certain regions of the world, new applications can have a profound impact on vessel safety, crew training, passenger experience, and operational efficiencies. Examples abound: attendees at the conference, now in its third year, will see a new suite of crew e-learning tools that can be accessed via mobile devices.

“2017 may be the global breakout year for ferries,” says Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, Chief Executive of the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA). She takes this viewpoint because of the tremendous expansion of ferries in India, Philippines, Thailand, new beginnings in West Africa, and the high profile expansion of the Citywide ferry service in New York City, where the  WFSA’s third conference on International Ferry Safety and Technology conference will be held on May 11-12, 2017.

Len Roueche, a Director of WFSA and a Consultant to Förde Reederei Seetouristik (FRS), and previously the CEO of Interferry – the trade association lead for the worldwide ferry sector, has offered his views on ways to implement some of the key suggestions in this important and forward-looking just-released report, authored by the United Nations Secretary-General's High-Level Advisory Group (HLAG) on Sustainable Transport of which he is a member. The U.N. report is wide ranging…

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association’s conference on Ferry Safety and Technology, underway today, has featured sessions on Vessels & Landings, Marine Weather, and Training Challenges and Innovative Solutions. The panel on Training, moderated by Captain Jim DeSimone from the New York City Department of Transportation, included talks by Murray Goldberg (Marine Learning Systems) and Bill Anderson, Jr. from the Seattle-based Pacific Marine Institute (PMI). Goldberg spoke about success at BC Ferries in implementing an e-Learning program. According to Goldberg, research across many industries has shown that a combination of e-Learning, combined with a personal touch, is a far superior mode of training.

The winners of the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association’s (WFSA) Safe Affordable Ferry Competition, as determined by a panel of judges, have been announced by WFSA Executive Director Dr. Roberta Weisbrod. The requirements of this year’s competition were to design a safe and affordable RoPax ferry able to transport 185 passengers plus a crew of 15 and cargo carrying vehicles on a route linking five islands surrounding Indonesia’s Savu Sea. Taking home first place honors is the University of Strathclyde, which will earn a $5,000 prize for its Savutec ferry.

Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, Executive Director of the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) has announced that the winners of its Safe Affordable Ferry Competition will be made known at the Ferry Safety and Technology Conference. The conference, in its second year, will be held in downtown New York, June 2-3. The competition, a project of the WFSA, challenges teams of Naval Architecture students to design a vessel that would serve a population dependent on ferry transportation.

On June 2-3, 2016,  the Ferry Safety and Technology Conference will be held in downtown Manhattan. Throughout the world, the quickening pace of technological advances is impacting all sectors of the maritime business; ferries are no exception. The conference, now in its second year, will feature practical and affordable technologies already deployed in passenger transportation, or soon to be. Topics to be discussed will include Vessel Design; Landings – with a focus on their resiliency and Maritime Weather – with fresh information on timely fine scale marine weather detection. Information management and Communication applications will be center stage.

The Worldwide Ferry Safety Association’s (WFSA) international student ferry design competition, geared toward developing a Safe Affordable Ferry, enters its third year receiving more entrants than ever before. For this year’s competition for a RoPax (passenger-truck) ferry for Indonesia, 21 student teams have registered, nearly doubling the number of entrants from previous years. A large percentage of the students are from academic institutions in the developing world: there are seven teams from Indonesian universities, four from India and three from Bangladesh. WFSA’s Executive Director, Dr. Additional entries have been received from schools in Canada and Germany (two each) and one from the World Maritime University in Sweden, one from Scotland and one from the U.S.