Passenger Vessels News

Norwegian shipyard Myklebust Verft has been selected to build a pair of innovative hydrogen-powered passenger ferries ordered by Norwegian transport company Torghatten Nord.The design, produced by The Norwegian Ship Design Company for operations in the challenging waters of the Vestfjordstrekninga fjord in the Arctic Circle, received approval in principle (AIP) in August 2022 from Lloyd's Register, who has signed on to class the first-of-their-kind vessels.At 117 meters long with a 120-car capacity…

For Lee Mi-kyung, whose son was one of the 250 children who died in South Korea's Sewol ferry disaster 10 years ago, coping with the grief and anger has been incredibly hard. She works through her pain on stage."I will no longer hide in darkness, nor be defeated by sorrow, nor cry in despair," Lee, 58, declares in a play in which seven mothers of children who died in the tragedy portray their journey of mourning.The play is one of five that Lee and other mothers have performed over the past eight years…

A newly unveiled concept for a sail-powered catamaran cruise ship aims to offer a luxury cruising experience on board a vessel that can travel emissions free.The unique vessel design--codenamed "Seabreeze"--comes from Norway-based YSA Design, who engineered the 104.5-meter-long ship to feature four 50-meter-high foldable sails mounted on 6-meter-high bases on deck for emissions-free propulsion.“Sustainability is critical but cruise shipping also needs to continuously reinvent itself,” said Trond Sigurdsen, Senior Architect and Partner, YSA Design.

American Cruise Lines is set to take delivery of two more new small ships in 2025.The 125-passenger sister ships, American Patriot and American Pioneer, represent the fifth and sixth ships in the company’s Project Blue series of 12 new small ships for the U.S. market. The ships will be built at the company’s affiliated shipyard, Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Maryland.American Patriot will begin sailing in June 2025, and American Pioneer in November 2025 and both new ships will operate a host of American’s U.S.

Construction on a new passenger ferry, designed by Incat Crowther for Western Australian ferry operator Rottnest Fast Ferries, has commenced at Austal Philippines.The new ferry will operate on the popular Perth to Rottnest Island tourism route with the 32-meter aluminum catamaran set to have an operational capacity of up to 400 passengers and five crew seated over three decks. The vessel will also feature extensive cargo and luggage space for passengers, including bicycle storage areas on the main and mid decks.

The latest newbuild for the San Francisco Bay Ferry fleet has been commissioned. The high-speed passenger vessel Delphinus was built by Mavrik Marine in La Conner, Wash. as the second of four new Dorado class ferries. Design was completed by One2three Naval Architects and construction management services were provided by Aurora Marine Design.Vessel construction was funded through the Federal Transit Administration and the State of California’s Proposition 1B in collaboration with…

The U.S. Coast Guard published an interim rule on December 27, 2021, to implement Congressionally-mandated requirements for fire safety on “covered small passenger vessels” (CSPVs), as defined by 46 U.S.C. 3306(n). Congress adopted the statutory mandate in response to the fire and loss of 34 lives onboard the dive boat CONCEPTION off the California coast on 02 September 2019.The USCG has identified a need to clarify the reference in 46 CFR 175.110(c) with respect to fire detection…

Bayou la Batre, Ala. shipbuilder Steiner Shipyard reports it has launched a new ferry it is building for the Maine Department of Transportation.The 104-foot passenger/vehicle ferry, named Charles Norman Shay, is designed by Gilbert Associates and is scheduled to be delivered in the near future.Once completed, the brand-new vessel will service the Maine State Ferry Service’s (MSFS) longest route, between Rockland and Matinicus Island (23 miles). It will provide the necessary upgrade to the ferry service that transports nearly 500…

A new environmentally friendly electric ferry service is planned to launch in Halifax, Canada.The province of Nova Scotia, along with the federal government and Halifax Regional Municipality, announced on March 4 a joint investment to build the Mill Cove Ferry Service, which will include five fully electric ferries, two terminals and a maintenance facility. All-electric propulsion, which slashes vessel emissions, noise and vibration, has been taking off in the ferry industry as the operational profile for these vessels—often including frequent…

On Friday, March 8, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) christened its new ferry in Galveston Bay.Named for the first female chair of the TxDOT and first Latina Secretary of State, Esperanza “Hope” Andrade, the vessel was designed by the The Shearer Group and built by Gulf Island Fabricators in Louisiana.Stretching 293 feet, the double-ended ferry showcases cutting-edge propulsion technology and pioneering battery energy storage systems.The ferry is outfitted with diesel-powered and electrical engines and Siemens Energy’s BlueDrive PLUSC power and propulsion system…

Norway's Havila Voyages announced it has appointed Mette Øyen as its new chief marketing officer and Aleksander Røynesdal has started in the role of new chief financial officer.Røynesdal was hired in December but officially entered his new role March 1. He comes from the position of COO at Norgas Carriers and has extensive experience in the finance and capital markets within the shipping and maritime transport industry.Øyen is scheduled to start in her new role on September 1, 2024.

Steve Nevey has been selected to serve as assistant secretary for the Washington State Ferries Division, the state's Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar announced on Thursday. Nevey will succeed Patty Rubstello, who is stepping down as head of WSF after more than 33 years of service with the Washington State Department of Transportation.A career mariner, Nevey progressed directly from high school to a maritime academy in the U.K. For the past two years he has served as director…

Because there are so many different kinds of passenger vessels, the critical topic of passenger safety can sometimes appear as a set of niche topics, each one just distantly connected to another. After all, passengers aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean face safety issues that are much different than a commuter going from Jersey City to Manhattan or a tourist crossing from the Mukilteo, Wash. ferry terminal to Whidbey Island or a family on a fishing vessel in Miami.Importantly, though, for passenger vessel operators, a commitment to safety is not siloed.

Whether it is from international organizations or state government agencies, there is growing pressure on ferry operators to meet stringent goals to reduce the environmental toll from their operations.The California Air Resource Board’s Commercial Harbor Craft Regulation issued the most stringent of these policies, which requires all short-run ferries to achieve zero emission by January 1, 2026. But it’s not just California that wants this industry to clean up its act. The United…

TECO 2030 and Umoe Mandal have delivered a documentation package to the Norwegian Maritime Authority for an approval in principle application of the world’s first fuel cell high-speed vessel design.The designed vessel is designed to be installed with a multimegawatt fuel cell system for full propulsion.The ship will be constructed based on Umoe Mandal’s proven Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV) Surface Effect Ship (SES) technology and with the air-cushion catamaran design it will offer low imprint on surrounding environment…

A passenger ferry has run aground near the entrance to Maui's Maalaea Harbor, the U.S. Coast Guard said. At 5:05 a.m. on Monday, Coast Guard Sector Honolulu watchstanders received notification from the 55-foot ferry Expeditions Five, which had run aground with three crew members on board.Watchstanders issued an urgent marine broadcast to mariners and dispatched a 29-foot Response Boat-small crew from Station Maui. The Station Maui crew confirmed that the vessel was hard aground…

American Glory, the second Coastal Cat in American Cruise Lines’ new series of 100-passenger ships, was christened in Key West, Fla. on Sunday. The ceremony took place at Mallory Square where the ship docks when visiting Key West along the company’s newest U.S. itinerary—Florida Gulf Coast & Keys cruises, operating roundtrip from St. Petersburg.Charles B. Robertson, President & CEO of American Cruise Lines, gave remarks and introduced American Glory’s Godmother, the Honorable Teri Johnston, Mayor of Key West.

Key West, Fla.-based Yankee Freedom has ordered a new 300-passenger, high-speed catamaran from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation for passenger service between Key West and the Dry Tortugas National Park. The new vessel will replace Yankee Freedom III, a 250-passenger catamaran built for the 70-mile run by the Mass.-based shipyard in 2012. Delivery of Yankee Freedom IV is planned for 2026.The new larger vessel, designed by Incat Crowther, retains the strong brand presence Yankee Freedom has established with tourists to the national park, said company officials.

Port Angeles, Wash. boatbuilder BRIX Marine has delivered Kamohoali'i, a state-of-the-art 40- by 14-foot high tunnel catamaran (HTC) purpose-built for Haleiwa Shark Tours on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.With a full-width open cabin Superstructure on a 4014-CTC hull form, the USCG Subchapter "T" inspected vessel has capacity for 29 passengers and two crew.Kamohoali'i is powered by twin Volvo 380HP D6 diesel engines and features Seastar Optimus inboard steering systems and EPS smartcylinders.The vessel is equipped with a Garmin navigation system…

The Norwegian cruise ship MS Maud suffered a power outage after a rogue wave shattered windows on the bridge while it sailed in the North Sea, causing the vessel to lose its ability to navigate, Danish authorities and the ship's owner said on Thursday.The 266 passengers and 131 crew members were safe, according to the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre."There is no power on the ship. The main engine is functioning but the navigation systems and radars are not," a spokesperson for the centre…

Sometimes, a change in a vessel's operational profile requires considerable modernization or retrofitting of its propulsion system in order for the vessel to remain fit for purpose. And in some cases, newly required thruster performance features can be achieved with the help of modifications that preserve most of the existing units.Earlier this year, the Croatian ferry Krk operated by the national Jadrolinija shipping company, was retrofitted to cater for a new route with stronger winds and currents.

Franklin, La. shipbuilder Gulf Craft LLC in November kicked off construction on new Incat Crowther-designed passenger ferry for the U.S Virgin Islands.The new USCG Subchapter-K approved, 104-foot (32-metre) vessel will service the busy tourist and commuter route between Red Hook on the island of St. Thomas, and Cruz Bay on the island of St. John. Currently, two other Incat Crowther-designed 28-metre vessels service this route.The simple yet stylish new ferry will be designed with…

Finnlines announced it has taken delivery of Finncanopus, its second of two Superstar-series freight-passenger (ro-pax) vessels from shipbuilder China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Weihai.The newbuild is slated to enter service on Finnlines’ line between Finland and Sweden (Naantali–Långnäs–Kapellskär) in February 2024. The homeward voyage is expected to take 6–7 weeks as Finncanopus will be nearly fully loaded with freight and will call several ports before entering the Baltic Sea.Finncanopus is the final vessel of Finnlines EUR 500-million Green Newbuilding Program…