Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding to build Ro-Pax for Washington Island Ferry Line

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Washington Island Ferry Line have signed an agreement to construct a new, year-round passenger/vehicle ferry for service across Wisconsin’s Death’s Door Passage.

The SeaCraft-designed Ro-Pax will be named Madonna and will have a length of 124 feet (37 metres), a beam of 40 feet (12 metres), a draught of 10 feet eight inches (3.2 metres), twin Caterpillar C32 main engines delivering an output of 1,600 hp (1,193 kW), and capacity for up to 28 vehicles and 150 passengers.

The new vessel will be the largest in the Washington Island Ferry Line fleet to-date. It is scheduled for delivery in late May 2020.