Louisiana, USA-based shipbuilder Metal Shark has been selected by HNY Ferry Fleet, LLC,operator of New York City’s Citywide Ferry Service, to build 26-metre, 149-passenger aluminium high-speed ferries.
Metal Shark will produce a series of ferries at its Franklin, Louisiana shipyard, which recently received a Small Shipyard Grant from the United States Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) to expand its facilities and shipbuilding capabilities. The 25-acre waterfront facility boasts the necessary technical capability to efficiently produce passenger ferries while meeting the aggressive schedule requirements of the project.
The new Citywide Ferry service is set to launch in the summer of 2017. A new fleet of passenger ferries operating six routes over 60 miles of waterways will connect New Yorkers and visitors to waterfront communities across the boroughs, servicing over 4.6 million passenger trips annually and integrating into the city’s overall transportation network.
The ferries produced by Metal Shark will utilize an Incat Crowther USCG Subchapter T design that delivers a 25-knot operating speed while reducing environmental impact by incorporating low emission engines and low wake technology.
By Jake Frith