New designs energize ferry market
French Polynesia's Bora Bora Navettes wanted a reliable low-wash, high-speed ferry to transport passengers between the island of Bora Bora and the airport, which is located near a lagoon. To fill the bill, Bora Bora Navettes tapped the River Runner 150, one of four standard low-wake designs from NQEA Australia Pty. Ltd., Cairns, Queensland, Australia. NQEAís experience includes the construction of more than 40 fast catamaran ferries, including export orders to Japan, New Zealand, Yugoslavia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Kuwait. Its portfolio also includes the Seajet range of fast catamarans developed in conjunction with Fry Design & Research and Denmark's Danyards.
For Bora Bora Navetes, it built two 30 m x 7 m, 25 knot vessels (pictured here), each capable of carrying 115 passengers and baggage. Each is powered by two Caterpillar 3196 DITA main diesel engines driving conventional propellers via Twin Disc reduction gears.
While U.S.-build restrictions in the Jones Act prevent Australian companies from building for the U.S. coastal trade, many have long been successful at licensing their technology. Incat Designs, for example, has been a long time player in the U.S. market through its licensing agreements with Nichols Brothers Boatbuilders, Freeland, Wash., and Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, The Duclos Corp., Somerset, Mass.
A more recent newcomer that has been making inroads is Advanced Multihull Designs (AMD), Sydney, Australia. Case in point is the two new vessels that recently joined U.S. West Coast ferry fleets, both built to AMD designs. The latest is the 325-passenger Del Norte, which joined the Golden Gate Ferry fleet in September. The vessel is 135.4 ft long and has a passenger capacity of 135. With a speed of 35 knots, the Del Norte slices makes the run from Larkspur to San Francisco in 30 minutes, some 15 minutes less than other ferries in the fleet. Propulsion is supplied by four 1,600 hp DDEC 16V-149TImain engines and four Bird-Johnson/MFP model J550 waterjets.
This past May, Washington State Ferries (WSF) took delivery of the AMD design ferry 350-passenger Chinook from Dakota Creek Industries, Anacortes, Wash. Dakota Creek was also the builder of the Del Norte.
On its run from Seattle to Bremerton, the Chinook is designed to meet the "no harm" level for wash in the Rich Passage. This was established in a 1991 scientific study that set acceptable wave height at 28 cm (about 11 in.) peak to trough, 300 m from the centerline of travel.
WSF recently opted for a second Chinook class ferry. Future construction of passenger-only ferries may well rest in the hands of Washington's voters when they go to the polls this November to vote on a statewide transportation bond issue.
NEW CAT IN TOWN
A prototype of a "homegrown" low-wash, high-speed design is nearing completion at Halter Marine Group, Gulfport, Miss. Dubbed the E-Cat, ("E" for Environmentally friendly and Economically Efficient), Halter Marine plans to unveil a 45 m x 11.6 m prototype at this month's IMTA Conference in New Orleans. Our illiustration's show an artist's impression of the completed vessel and work underway on the prototype.
"As far as I know, the E-Cat is the first ground-up design in its size that is home-grown and done for low wake purposes," says Halter Marine senior vice president Anil Raj.
Designed and built to comply with the IMO High Speed Craft Code, the E-Cat could be fitted with a superstructure to carry 350 to 400 passengers at speeds reaching 35 knots.
Based on tests, Halter Marine expects the wave height to be less than 0.28 m at 300 m. Propulsion will be supplied by two Cat 3516B engines, which will power two Bird Johnson MJP 650 model waterjets via Reintjes reduction gears.
The prototype is designed for bays and sounds, but Halter Marine is also developing another version for open-ocean applications
"Our first cut at the E-Cat," says Raj, "was a 149-passenger craft. But then we realized that there was an even greater potential for the larger passenger capacity model that would be more cost effective for the owner. With a larger passenger count, the dollar per passenger came down significantly. The market for smaller craft was not as attractive."
SPEEDING PAST RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC
One of the newest and most ambitious entrants into the fast ferry commuter market will be SeaConn Flying Boats LLC, New Haven, Conn. It plans to initiate a new high-speed commuter service from Connecticut to Manhattan. Its president, Doren Voeth, told Marine Log that SeaConn Flying Boats has already secured some $80 million in financing to start the venture. Initial plans call for the construction of three 60 knot, 375-passenger ferries, followed by two additional vessels every 18 months as the market dictates. Commuters from Black Rock (Bridgeport) will be able to avoid rush hour traffic to reach destinations in downtown and midtown Manhattan, as well as LaGuardia Airport.
SeaConn has already settled on a revolutionary design called a pentamaran from the U.K.'s Nigel Gee & Associates. The pentamaran looks like a monohull with ìoutriggerî type hulls extending out, two on the port side and two on the starboard. SeaConn, says Voeth, will select a builder within the next month. It plans to begin service by the fall of 1999.
TEA 21 WILL HELP U.S. FERRY CONSTRUCTION
The recently passed Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) continues and expands upon the funding mechanism for the construction of ferries and ferry terminals created by its predecessor, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA).
From 1992 to 1997, for instance, some $95 million in ferry grants were awarded under ISTEA.
Over the fiscal yearsFY 1998 to FY 2003, TEA-21 authorizes $220 million under the ferry grant program to design and build ferries and ferry terminals. And a welcome revision in the legislation expands eligibility from publicly owned ferries to include those that are "publicly owned or operated," or those that are "majority publicly owned" and "provide substantial public benefit." This revision, says the Passenger Vessel Association's Ed Welch, opens the door to more public-private ferry partnerships. By law these grants can cover up to 80% of the cost of construction.
On top of the $220 million authorized under the Ferry Boat Discretionary (FBD) Program is another $70 million that has been authorized in FY 99-03 for New Start capital projects in Alaska and Hawaii. These set asides (at $14 million per year) will be administered by the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA).
The real question for the ferry industry is whether the ferry funding pie is big enough to go around. That's because $100 million of the $220 million authorized for the FBD Program has been set aside for use in marine highway systems that are part of the National Highway Systems in the states of Alaska, New Jersey, and Washington. Additionally, those states are not barred from applying for additional funds. This leaves $120 million in FBD funding available for open competition among all states. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which administers the FBD program, is already sorting through responses to its Request for Projects for FY 98 and FY 99. A total of $48 million for the two fiscal yearscombined ($30 million in FY '98 and $18 million in FY '99) will be available for FBD projects.
"They'll probably have more qualified applicants than they have funds available," Welch, the PVA's legislative directortold Marine Log. "Particularly since they've expanded the eligibility." A number of ferry projects, however, that have already been tagged as"High Priority" in TEA-21 could help to reduce some of the competitive pressure, he added.
ML
