Old ferries to be phased out.
Two new ferries will be joining the North Carolina fleet soon! With more capacity than the existing ferries, the new additions will be more efficient and will be ideal for the Hatteras Ocracoke route. The NCDOT Ferry Division press release has details.
NCDOT Awards Contract for Two New Vehicle Ferries
M/V Avon, M/V Salvo to replace older, smaller vessels.
RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division has awarded a contract to Gulf Island Shipyards of Houma, Louisiana, for the construction of two new river-class vehicle ferries.
The two ferries will cost a total of $22.85 million, and will be paid for with money from the Ferry Division’s Vessel Replacement Fund.
“These two new boats, along with the two others already under construction, will both increase our capacity and upgrade our technology,” said Ferry Division Director Harold Thomas. “The new ferries mark a major step in improving and modernizing the North Carolina Ferry System.”
The two new ferries, tentatively named the M/V Avon and the M/V Salvo, will carry 40 vehicles each and replace the smaller Hatteras-class ferries M/V Kinnakeet and the M/V Chicamacomico. The new ferries are scheduled to be delivered in 2020.
The North Carolina Ferry System is the second-largest state-run ferry system in the United States, operating 21 boats on seven regular routes across five bodies of water.
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