![]() MV SSG Michael H. Ollis docked in St. George in January 2022 | |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Builders | Eastern Shipbuilding |
Operators | Staten Island Ferry |
Preceded by | Molinari-class |
In service | 2022- |
Planned | 3 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Ollis-class passenger ferry |
Length | 320 ft (98 m) |
Beam | 70 ft (21 m) |
Draft | 13 ft (4.0 m) |
Propulsion | EMD 710 diesel engines |
Capacity | 4,500 passengers |
Crew | 16 |
The Ollis-class ferries are a trio of passenger ferries on the Staten Island Ferry, the first of which entered service in 2022. The class is named after US Army Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis, a Staten Islander who was killed in action during the War in Afghanistan in 2013. [1] [2]
Early work on the class began in August 2014, after a study into the future of Staten Island Ferry's fleet showed that the most economical course would be new-build ships instead of rebuilding existing vessels. [3] The Elliott Bay Design Group was awarded a contract to design the new ships, which will replace MV John F. Kennedy and MV Andrew J. Barberi, resulting in one additional ship in the Staten Island Ferry fleet. [4] [3] The following month, substantial funding for the project, covering the construction of two ships, was secured with a $191.6 million federal grant from the Hurricane Sandy relief bill. [5] As part of the new order, city officials allowed passengers to vote on the types of seats that would be installed in the new fleet. [6]
In November 2016, Eastern Shipbuilding was confirmed as the low bidder for constructing the ships, [1] and the shipyard was awarded the contract with a notice to proceed on March 1, 2017. [2] The final price for construction of the three vessels was $314 million; in addition to the federal grant, state and city funding was also used. [2] The first vessel, MV SSG Michael H. Ollis, was expected to be delivered in mid-2019, [2] followed later that year by MV Sandy Ground, named after an early African American settlement on Staten Island. [7]
A petition to name the third Ollis-class ship after Staten Island firefighter John G. Chipura, who died in the September 11 attacks, reached 11,000 signatures by September 2017. [8] Other proposed namesakes include Russel Timoshenko, an NYPD officer killed in the line of duty in 2007. [9] In March 2020, the Mayor's office announced it would be named for Catholic social activist Dorothy Day. [10]
In October 2018, the timeline for the ferries' delivery was pushed back. Some of the parts for the first two Ollis-class ferries were being manufactured at Eastern Shipbuilding's shipyard in Panama City, Florida, which had been severely damaged after Hurricane Michael that month. [11] [12] MV SSG Michael H. Ollis was launched in November 2019, with an expected delivery date of August 2020. [13] MV Sandy Ground was launched in June 2020. [14] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the arrival of the new fleet was delayed again in July 2020. [15] MV SSG Michael H. Ollis was towed from Florida to New York in August 2021, [16] [17] and she entered service on February 14, 2022. [18]
MV Sandy Ground was delivered at the end of December 2021 [19] and entered service on June 17, 2022. [20] On December 22, 2022, a fire broke out in the engine room of the Sandy Ground. [21] The ferry remained out of service for repairs until late April 2025. [22]
The third ferry, MV Dorothy Day was launched at 26 March 2021, [23] delivered in September 2022, [24] and entered service on April 28, 2023. [25]
Each ship of the class will be 320 feet (98 m) long, with a beam of 70 feet (21 m), and a loaded draft of 13 feet (4.0 m). [2] They will carry 4,500 passengers, with a crew complement of 16. [2] [14] They will be powered by four EMD 12-710 diesel engines arranged in two married pairs, each of which drive a cycloidal propeller at each end of the ship for double-ended operation. [2]