Construction begins on newest Washington Island Ferry

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, Washington, D.C., hosted team members from the Washington Island Ferry Line to witness the start of construction of its newest year-round operational ferry, to be named Madonna.

Workers in the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding fabrication shop completed the first burn of steel material for the vessel, which will measure 124 feet in length (40 foot beam, 10-foot, 8-inch depth). It will have capacity for as many as 28 vehicles and 150 passengers. The new ferry will be the largest in the ferry line’s fleet to-date. It is scheduled for delivery in late May 2020.

“We are pleased to build what is our third ferry for Washington Island,” says Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding’s Vice President and General Manager Todd Thayse. “All current ferry vessels were built in Sturgeon Bay—two by Peterson Builders and this will be our third here at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding.

“This opportunity to build yet another ferry vessel in a Door County shipyard is something we’re extremely proud of,” says Washington Island Ferry Line President Hoyt Purinton. “Built locally, this ferry – like our other vessels – will operate exclusively in Door County waters between Washington Island and the tip of the Door Peninsula.”