The following is text of a news release from Blount Boats:
(WARREN, R.I.) — Blount Boats together with Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) has been awarded the contract to design and construct a new passenger-only ferry for Governors Island, N.Y., by The Trust For Governors Island. The Blount/EBDG partnership combines their extensive knowledge, skills and experience in the design and construction of ferries.
"Blount Boats is honored to have been chosen by the trust to build another iconic vessel for New York Harbor," Marcia Blount, president of Blount Boats, said upon award of the contract. Robert J. Pelletier, vice president of Blount Boats, will be project manager for the construction at the Blount shipyard.
Blount Boats also has signed a contract with Fire Island Ferries to construct an 85-foot aluminum ferry boat for service between Bay Shore and Fire Island on Great South Bay. This vessel is a sister ship to M/V Fire Islander (Hull 368) built by Blount Boats in 2013.
The triple-screw vessel will be built and certified under U.S. Coast Guard Subchapter K rules and regulations. It will be powered by John Deere 6135SFM85 diesel engines, 650 hp each at 2,100 rpm with 2:1 ZF 550 reduction gears. This vessel marks the 10th boat designed and built by the Blount shipyard for Fire Island Ferries since 1972.
In a third deal, Blount Boats has signed a contract with South Ferry Co. to construct a steel passenger/vehicle ferry for Shelter Island, N.Y. The 101-by-40-foot double-ended ferry to be named Southern Cross will be built to carry a deck load of 260,000 pounds. Main propulsion will be provided by two Caterpillar C-18 Tier 3 diesels each rated at 470 hp at 1,800 rpm. Twin Disc MG-516 remote mount, reverse gears will transmit power to four-blade, nibral ice-strengthened propellers through 4-inch Aquamet 22 propeller shafts.
The Clark family, owners of South Ferry Co., has been providing transportation between Shelter Island and North Haven on Long Island’s southern tip since the 1700s. Southern Cross will be a sister ship to two other Blount-built ferries designed by DeJong & LeBet for South Ferry: Sunrise (Hull 311), delivered in 2002, and Southside (Hull 323), delivered in 2009.
