In 2017, The Shearer Group Inc. (TSGI), Houston, was awarded a five-year Indefinite Deliverable contract with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). TSGI was tasked to provide the detail design of a 293'x66'x16' double-ended diesel-electric ferry with energy storage capable of carrying 495 passengers and 70 cars, providing service from Galveston Island to Bolivar Peninsula.
The ferry is currently being built at Gulf Island Shipyards in Jennings, La. TSGI is providing construction oversight to TxDOT during the entire construction process.
The diesel-electric ferry will have an energy storage system provided by Siemens utilizing its Bluedrive PlusC technology with 1.4MWHr of energy storage to increase the safety and reliability of the vessel. The system will deliver power to a pair of Voith Schneider cycloidal propellers via electric motors.
The Shearer Group, Inc. (TSGI) is the global leader for design of inland towboats, ferries and barges. We have a rich history of providing naval architecture, marine engineering and marine surveying services to the marine industry, with a focus on the inland sector.
