Passenger Ferry 75% Complete

During the meeting, held at the Berkeley Manor, Jed noted that Ferry Service was frustrated by the delay in the building and implementing of the passenger ferry. 

Although the shell of the boat is mostly complete, there is still about 25% of the work that needs to be done such as running the heating and air conditioning systems, the plumbing, electrical, etc. He cautiously mentioned a completion date by the end of the year.

“We are trying to make sure we have a good product,” stated Jed. “We’re making progress.”

He noted that the passenger shelters and parking are 100% complete with the docks nearing completion. In addition, the transition ramps will be in place within a couple of weeks and all of the necessary work will be completed by the time the boat arrives. 

US Boatworks, the company that is building the boat, has made no secret of the fact that the delay has been primarily due to the lack of qualified boat builders, specifically, marine welders. The delay is costing the company $1,000 a day in liquidated damages (for every day that the boat is late). Money for the passenger ferry came from a grant by the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) which paid for 51% of the $9.1 million project and a one time appropriation from the General Assembly that covered the remaining 49%.

The completion of the boat and infrastructure is only part of what must be done before the passenger ferry comes on line. After the vessel is complete, it must undergo sea trials and the staff must be trained to operate the boat. Coast Guard reports thus far have been positive.

Hornbeck Marine Services is the company contracted to do the training. According to Jed, they already have captains committed to serving on the passenger ferry and they will help develop safety manuals and procedures. The DOT launch group has been meeting regularly with the ferry employees.

“We aren’t satisfied with the time frame, but we are satisfied with the product we are getting,” said Jed.

The audience had quite a few questions. Concerning publicity for the passenger ferry, Jed says that they have newly designed rack cards and are waiting for the DOT approval before printing. One side of the card will be dedicated to the passenger ferry and the other side will explain the car ferries. The rack cards will show both the ferry route and the tram route as well as Frequently Asked Questions with information to help passengers determine which service would best suit their needs. Marketing will begin in earnest once the ferry division has firm dates on the delivery of the boat.

They are hoping to have have the passenger ferry in Wilmington for the Visit NC 365 conference at the end of March. Jed explained that Visit NC is the largest tourism group in the state and the ferry division is eager to have them see (and help publicize) the vessel. He also mentioned the stakeholder meeting to be held in Swansboro on Nov. 9. It will be open to the public and will be a great opportunity to see the passenger ferry. 

Other questions:

Will the price still be $15.00 per person?

More than likely; however, the ferry division may implement a varied price structure with lower prices on the less utilized trips.

What is the schedule?

The schedule is not yet set but the earliest trip from Hatteras will be somewhere between 9:00 and 10:00 AM. The passenger ferry will probably make three round trips a day to begin and increase that to four trips once the busier season begins. It takes a minimum of one and a half hours to cross including loading/unloading and a 15 minute layover (for cleaning and taking on fuel and water), so right now the ferry division is planning to allocate two hours for a trip. Ferry employees work 12 hour shifts so they also have to take that into account when planning the schedule. 

What if the boat breaks down?

The ferry division will have several 15 passenger vans located on Ocracoke and will shuttle passengers to the South Hatteras Dock (north end of Ocracoke) to walk on the car ferry for the return trip. In the event of a breakdown, passengers will be notified by telephone as to what time they need to be at the shelter in order to catch the ferry back to Hatteras.

What if I don’t want to return the same day?

There will be adequate parking at Hatteras in the event that passengers want to spend more time on Ocracoke. They can make a reservation to return at a later time.

What’s with the new Ferry Division website? It’s confusing.

Jed says they realize that the new website, while having many plusses, is confusing for those who only want to check the ferry schedule. They are working on tweaking it to make it easier to read.

Also mentioned was the new South Dock traffic pattern for dune reconstruction. It requires an extra 15-20 minutes because traffic must wait for a pilot car to guide them through construction when loading and unloading from the ferry. Organizers for the upcoming Pirate Jamboree expressed concern that it could create a huge bottleneck of people trying to come to the Jamboree by way of Hatteras. Jed says they will likely adapt the schedule to include extra ferry departures and that they will also request that DOT suspend the work just for that weekend. However, suspension of the work will be the decision of NC DOT.