ISLAND HOME FERRY

Designer
Elliott Bay Design Group, USA

Shipbuilder
VT Halter Marine, Inc., USA

Project
Design and construction of a 255-foot double-ended vehicle and passenger ferry for the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket Steamship Authority

ShipConstructor Modules
Structure, ProductHierarchy, NC-Pyros, Report

Project Highlights
The complex state-of-the-art Island Home Ferry is called a “double ender” because of the major design feature it has consisting of a propeller and rudder at each end, an important feature to the operator as it means the ferry does not have to do a 180 degree turn on each return trip, saving valuable time and allowing for more trips per day.

VT Halter Marine, Inc. (VTHM) was able to consult with the customer during the design process, through the use of ShipConstructor, and easily identify problem areas which would have impacted production and the supply of materials for use in the construction of the vessel. Identifying these issues early in the design phase helped to accommodate for changes between the engineering department and the customer prior to the construction of units, and also address future issues such as the need for a common window to be purchased and stocked for later use in case of a window being broken during operation. VTHM was further able to save time on the design-side of the project by using a 3D modeling subcontractor, also utilizing ShipConstructor, to work on the upper units of the vessel. Once the upper units were completed the files were simply sent to VTHM for integration into the final model.

Fabrication of the vessel consists of a mix of steel and aluminum. Steel construction has been used from the keel to the “02 deck”, and aluminum from the detacouple seam on the “02 deck” to the top of the vessel, contributing to the increased capacity for vehicles on the ferry. The breadth of the vessel is 64 feet allowing for five rows of vehicles on the freight deck and two rows on each of the two lift decks, supplementing the vessel's vehicle carrying capacity. Seating is arranged to achieve the most comfort for the 1200 passengers and crew, with interior space laid out to meet as many of ADA's (Americans with Disabilities Act) recommendations as are possible for a vessel.

VT Halter Marine, Inc. is supported by ShipConstructor USA, Inc, SSI's affiliate company in USA.