Incat Crowther has designed a new fleet of vessels for Hornblower, the selected operator of New York City’s new Citywide Ferry Service.
The undertaking announced by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will create a network of ferries serving the entire city by the end of 2018 with a focus on areas that are currently underserved by transit. The new service includes longer runs to the Rockaways in 2017 along with South Brooklyn and Astoria. Service to the Lower East Side in Manhattan and Soundview in the Bronx begins in 2018.
Incat Crowther is already delivering production engineering to satisfy an aggressive build schedule at multiple shipyards, with at least a dozen boats scheduled to be delivered in 2017.
The 150-passenger vessels will have spacious interiors, with ADA access, wide aisles, a concession stand and Wi-Fi. The design features bow loading specifically designed to integrate with standard infrastructure, some of which will be built or redeveloped for this project. The foredeck also houses bicycle racks and room for strollers.
The design has been developed in close cooperation with Hornblower, leveraging Incat Crowther’s experience and expertise in the U.S. ferry industry to satisfy challenging operational and regulatory requirements. Key attributes include low wash, high fuel efficiency and low emissions, cold water operation and the robustness to reliably service a high frequency commuter operation, estimated to service 4.6 million passenger trips per year once the service reaches its full potential.
The vessels will form the backbone of a modern, comfortable and efficient urban ferry fleet that will be New York City’s first city-wide ferry system in over 100 years.