Gladding-Hearn books Fire Island Ferry order

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, Somerset, Mass., has received an order to build a new all-aluminum mono-hull ferry for Fire Island Ferries, Inc., Bay Shore, N.Y.  The vessel’s delivery is scheduled for June 2011.

The new 387-passenger ferry is a further refinement of a vessel design concept optimized by Fire Island Ferries since the early 1970’s to operate on the 20-minute crossing on the shallow Great South Bay. With an emphasis on economy, efficiency, and quick turn-around, there are large mid-ship passenger doors on the main deck.  There is indoor seating for 204 passengers on the main deck and outdoor seating on the upper deck for another 183 passengers.

According to the builder, to ensure a smooth integration of the new vessel into a fleet of more than 20 ferries operated by Fire Island Ferries, the design priority is the use of common components, systems and critical arrangement dimensions to aid in crew training and maintenance.

Propulsion for the ferry will be supplied by three MTU Series 60 diesel engines, delivering a total of 1,800 bhp at 2,100 rev/min and connected to ZF550 gear boxes, each turning NiBrAl propellers.  The vessel’s top speed will be 21 knots.

February 24, 2011