Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) has begun construction of three new hybrid Ro-Pax vessels ordered by Washington State Ferries (WSF).
The contract awarded to ESG had called for the construction of two vessels plus an option for an additional vessel. At the steel-cutting ceremony held at ESG's Panama City facilities on Wednesday, August 5, David Sowers, Program Administrator for System Electrification at WSF, said that the Washington State Government has accepted the option in the contract for a third ferry.
As part of the bid terms, ESG will deliver the first ferry in 2030, the second in 2031, and the third in 2032.
The vessels will each have an LOA of 409.5 feet (124.8 metres), a beam of 83 feet (25 metres), a hull depth of 24.5 feet (7.47 metres), and a hybrid-electric propulsion system. They will be certified to transport 160 standard-sized passenger vehicles and 1,500 passengers.
With a draught of 16.5 feet (5.03 metres), the ferries will achieve a speed of 17 knots at full load and will be capable of interfacing with all existing WSF dock facilities.
The contract for the new hybrid ferries was awarded to ESG following a year-long process of advertising, pre-qualifying shipyards, and answering shipyard requests for clarification. Two shipyards had submitted bids, and ESG’s bid was six per cent lower than WSF’s own engineer’s estimate, and significantly lower than the other bidder, the office of Washington Governor Bob Ferguson had stated.
