New Staten Island Ferry Michael H. Ollis is due in New York Harbor Saturday, ahead of the estimated 12-day delivery time.
Midday Thursday the 320'x70'x21'6" ferry and Dann Ocean Towing’s 115’x32’x15’ ocean tug Colonel were abeam Cape Hatteras, averaging 8.5 knots on the 1,571-nautical-mile trip from Eastern Shipbuilding Group’s (ESG) Port St. Joe, Fla., facility to New York. They left Aug. 6 with a five-man crew.
“We had extraordinarily good weather,” said Stephen Dann, president of the Tampa company. They were also well away from the potential path of a tropical depression threatening Florida — but just in case had contingency plans and had spoken with all major ports along the way.
Built in 1978 at Quality Shipyard, Houma, La., the Colonel has two EMD 12-645-E6 engines rated at 3,000 hp at 900 rpm. The ferry, the first of three new ones ESG is building for the city, is scheduled to start service in the fall. It was originally due in New York a year ago but delayed by the pandemic.
