The first of twenty new ferryboats has begun the 1,700 mile voyage from the Gulf Coast to its new home in the waters of New York harbor.  The new ferry is the first of a new fleet of aluminum catamaran ferries to be operated by Hornblower Cruises, as part of the Citywide Ferry Service (CFS), a major expansion of ferry service in New York City.

The ferries, based on an Incat Crowther-design, are being built at Horizon Shipbuilding in Alabama and at Metal Shark in Louisiana. Each of the 85-foot-long ferries will be able to carry 150 passengers along with bicycles, strollers and wheelchairs. The ferries will also feature free Wi-Fi and heated decks. Snacks, drinks and alcoholic beverages will be available for sale.

Although four of the five boroughs of Manhattan are located on islands, by 1967 the only ferry service remaining in the city was the Staten Island Ferry, which carries 23 million passengers annually on a 5.2-mile run between the St. George Terminal in Staten Island and the Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan. In recent years, particularity after the attacks of 9/11 and subway disruptions due to Hurricane Sandy, New York has seen the establishment of additional ferry routes.

 The new $325 million Citywide Ferry Service will connect all five boroughs, with service at 21 landings across six different routes. New York City’s Mayor DeBlasio predicts that that the new ferries will ultimately carry 4.5 million passengers a year.