ESG launches second of three Staten Island ferries
Written by Nick Blenkey
In spectacular side launch, ferry entered the water with a splash
Eastern Shipbuilding Group Inc.’s Allanton shipyard in Panama City, Fla., last week launched the Sandy Ground (Hull 220), the second of three new “Ollis Class” ferries for the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) Staten Island Ferry Division.
The Ollis Class ferries series is named after Army Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis, a Staten Island native killed in Afghanistan on August 28, 2013, when he stepped into the path of a Polish officer, blocking him from the suicide vest of an insurgent.
The three Ollis Class double-ended 4,500-passenger ferries, are built to a design provided by Elliott Bay Design Group.
Main propulsion power is provided by two pairs of Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) 12-710 @ 900 rpm EPA Tier 4 marine propulsion engines with each pair driving a RV6 ECS/285-2 Voith Schneider Propeller via a Reintjes DUP 3000 P combining gear.
Electrical power generation is provided by three EPA Tier 3 marine continuous duty diesel generator sets, each comprising a Caterpillar C18 drivinga 480 V, 60 Hz, 3-phase generator rated at 425 kW at 0.8 PF @ 1,800 rpm.
The three Ollis Class ferries have the following characteristics:
Length Overall: 320’-0”
Length on Design Load Waterline: 308’-3 1/2”
Beam, Molded: 70’-0”
Beam over Guards: 70’-3”
Depth at Main Deck at Side: 21’-6”
Design Draft: 13’-0”
Installed Horsepower: 9,980 HP
Fuel Oil Capacity: (95%, approximate)30,000 gal
Minimum Seating Capacity: 2,551
Maximum Passenger Capacity: 4,500
Crew:16
Regulatory: ABS +A1, Ferry Service, River Service, +AMS Notation. USCG Subchapter H Passenger Vessel
