Third Ollis-class Staten Island ferry heads for NYC
Written by Nick Blenkey
Dorothy Day Staten Island Ferry departs Port St. Joe, Fla., under tow for New York City
The Dorothy Day, the third and final Ollis-class ferry built for NYCDOT’s Staten Island Ferry Division by Eastern Shipbuilding group, has left the builder’s Port St. Joe, Fla., shipyard, passenger-ready with its U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection and ABS class documentation.
“It has been an honor for our company to build the three Ollis-class Staten Island Ferries for the citizens of New York City marking a bold new chapter in the Staten Island Ferry’s 200-year-old legacy of public transportation,” said Joey D’Isernia, President of Eastern Shipbuilding Group. “These cutting-edge ferries are now the premier vessels of the world’s busiest passenger-only ferry system that has reliably served the people of New York, New Jersey, and the millions of tourists New York City welcomes each year. With the delivery of the Ollis Class, ESG is proud to continue this time-honored tradition for decades to come.”
Dann Ocean Towing’s Sarah Dann is towing the 320-foot ferry from Port St. Joe to New York City. The trip will take approximately 14 days. On arrival in New York, the ferry will be staged at Caddell Dry Dock for cleaning and another round of trials and training. It is scheduled to begin transporting passengers later this year.
“Since entering service, the first two Ollis Class ferries built by Eastern Shipbuilding Group have operated flawlessly with zero unplanned operational downtime. This is a testament to the quality and craftsmanship built into each vessel by our employees,” said D’Isernia.
The new Staten Island Ollis-class of ferries is named for Michael H. Ollis, a New Dorp, Staten Island, resident who was killed in Afghanistan saving the life of a fellow soldier in 2013.
The third vessel in the series is named for Dorothy Day, the renowned activist and journalist who lived and worked on Staten Island. Dorothy Day co-founded the Catholic Worker Movement, which offering food and shelter to those in need on New York City’s Lower East Side during the Great Depression, and created the Catholic Worker newspaper. Her legacy has advanced through the Roman Catholic Church’s canonization process. The Church has bestowed Dorothy Day with the “Servant of God” title, with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops formally endorsing her candidacy for sainthood in 2012.
The new ferries feature the latest in marine technology for energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. They also have features that are part of New York’s emergency response plan and can be connected to the New York Fire Department’s vessels, also built by Eastern Shipbuilding Group, to support evacuations and rescue.
The three Ollis-class double ended 4,500 passenger ferries, are from a design provided by Elliott Bay Design Group, with each ferry featuring four Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) L12ME23B @ 750 rpm EPA Tier 4 marine propulsion engines with two engines powering one Reintjes DUP 3000 P combining gear and one 36 RV6 ECS/285-2 Voith Schneider Propeller at each end of the vessel. Power generation is provided by three EPA Tier 3 marine continuous duty diesel generator sets, with Caterpillar C18 engines driving 480 V, 60 Hz, 3-phase generators rated at 425 kW at 0.8 P.F. @ 1800 rpm.
