Is this the correct forum? Just curious, will these ferries be built in Florida and then have to sail through the Canal and up the West Coast to Seattle? Just wondering how well a hybrid vessel can make that trip and the logistics involved. Absolutely not a “political statement”, just an old Coastie wondering about what all would be involved in what appears to be a big job.
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The ferries will probably be towed. Eastern built several Staten Island ferries which were towed to NYC.
Marc
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Why tow? If they’re anything similar to their recently converted Wenatchee you could think of it like a Toyota Prius. At their final use ports in Washington they’ll be able to plug in for rapid recharge at the pier. If their batteries run low the generators will run at an efficient load % to recharge. The propulsion is electric either way. Just diesel-electric with batteries.
So for the transit they’ll presumably depart Eastern with a full charge and run the generators as needed. They’ll have to bunker like any other ship along the way, though perhaps a little more frequently depending on the ultimate size of their storage tanks.
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It will be “Hybride” not fully electric ferries. (I.e still have diesel driven generators for use when charging the batteries are not possible.
But I agree that these will probably be towed.
Transport on HLV will probably not be possible without dispensation from JA rules. (?)
PS> Several similar Hybride ferries have been built in Turkey and sailed to Norway under own power.
From the gcaptain article:
Looks like they puled out some old drawings to build a replica.
The height of bureaucratic stupidity.
Washington has good shipyards that can build ferries. It cost more to build in high cost Washington but the quality is also higher, and the future support and repairs will be done in Washington. You get what you pay for.
Washington shipyards are job creators and economic drivers, they deserve state support.
Instead, Washington bureaucrats are spending uber-liberal Washington taxpayers money to support ultra conservative Florida’s agenda.
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Could it be that those same Washington bureaucrats and politicians have so heavily regulated the state’s large shipyards that it is no longer economically feasible to built in Washington state?
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I don’t know if it will be towed or not. But I would guess where WSF takes possession & how hard a nonstop transit from the FL Panhandle to Washington State would be on batteries & the equipment will be considered. If I bought a brand new electric car in Washington State I’d be pissed if they put the miles on it by driving it from Florida?
While I see your point, having taken delivery of several newbuilds I prefer to work out all the kinks and warranty flaws before placing in service at the final use destination. No better time than the initial mobilization transit.
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One more question and there seem to be posters here more familiar with ferries than I am. How well can ferries sail if they hit rough weather or high seas on this voyage? The closet to open-water sailing on a ferry I have ever experienced was crossing from NJ to Delaware across Delaware Bay. Everything else has been river ferries. My children were on the Southport-Fort Fisher ferry on the Cape Fear River and hit some rough weather and they were genuinely scared. They said it was one rough crossing.
If they get towed the tow plan with have appropriate sea restrictions on it and safe haven ports to duck into.
it’s also possible they will go the heavy lift ship route. But I doubt they’ll go under their own power.
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About as well as you’d expect. I’ve done some deliveries with ferries and they all ride different depending on the hull and design. If you get a flat bottom boat designed to cross the St Johns River it’s not gonna handle an 8 ft quarter swell very comfortably.
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Are there any US flag semi-submersible HLVs or Dockships that could handle these ferries? (The hybrid/electric vessels will measure 409’6"x83’2"x24’6" with a draft of 16’-6")
Or will the Panama Canal crossing be enough to bypass JA restrictions for using a foreign vessel.
Looking at the rendering these are double-ended ferries with very low bow/stern freeboard and w/o bow/stern visir. Thus the car deck is open from end to end.
Unless there are ample letting holes on both sides they would probably not be approved by MWS for any long open water towage.
PS> Although the planned voyage is mainly in benign waters and a coastwise tow along the US Pacific coast, with a number of possible sheltered ports of refuge, I doubt that any MWS would sign CofA for this voyage.
It begs the question……
For all those who are extolling the virtues and acceptance of autonomous vessels, AGI, ASI not to mention future unemployment…..are these new ferry builds plus all other global new builds being designed and manufactured to run with these proposed technologies and if not, why not?
My guess is they’d be towed. Those ferries are not built to sustain voyages that long. Crew provisions, holding tanks, fuel storage capacity, along with relatively limited options for good fuel between Panama and the US. Not to mention being brand new vessels like explained.
The bigger question will be if Eastern can actually deliver these by 2029. Jones Act haters are furious about this project! More expensive than foreign built alternatives obviously.@cpgrabow
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Do not type that 2 more times. If you type his name 3 times he will appear and spew his tired diatribe.
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It could sail to the Bahamas and be loaded on a semi-submersible there and be shipped from there. I was on a yacht that was loaded on a Dockwise semi in Nanaimo, Canada bound for Florida. The ship was diverted to Long Beach, California where a dredge was loaded. After off-loading the yachts in Fort Lauderdale, the ship sailed to the Bahamas and off-loaded the dredge there. The dredge then made it’s way to Florida through other means.
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They could also load in Jacksonville and off-load in Nanaimo, come to think of it.
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Haha as much as I disagree with him he brings up really valid points on some of the arguments. I just wanna keep a job man. I enjoy reading his side.
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Seconded. I don’t like his opinions and I don’t like his goals, but he’s not dumb and his arguments are well-reasoned, well-sourced, and convincing to people willing to be convinced. I wish he wouldn’t push to destroy a system that provides both economic and critical security benefits so that a few niche markets can save pennies on the dollar, but if he’s going to make that push, I appreciate him having both the guts and courtesy to engage with us directly.
Everybody’s happy to complain about echo chambers until it’s their own in question. I’m glad he’s here to provide intelligent dissenting opinions. Sometimes he may even be right in ways we don’t like but do need to acknowledge and deal with.
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No, there aren’t any such JA-compliant vessels, and transiting the Panama Canal won’t solve matters. This issue has come up before: https://www.winston.com/a/web/156258/Jones-Act-Waivers-Article.pdf
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