Page 126: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 1992)

Electronic Update

Staten Island Ferries Refit

With New Furuno Radars

Units Being Installed On 7 N.Y. City Vessels

The double-ended Staten Island ferry John A. Noble is now equiped with two Furuno FR-2010 radars and one FMD-8100 remote display in each of its wheelhouse.

The seven double-ended ferries of the Staten Island Ferry system are being refit with state-of-the-art

Furuno radar. The new radar was selected by the New York City De- partment of Transportation as the result of a competitive bidding pro-

Antenna of the new Furuno radar installed aboard the Staten Island ferry American Legion. cess, based on strict adherence to detailed specifications.

Installation of the new commer- cial class Furuno radars, which be- gan in March 1992, will take ap- proximately one year to complete.

Retrofitting will take place as each ferry is temporarily pulled from ser- vice for routine maintenance.

The Staten Island Ferry system, one of the most heavily used in the

U.S., operates between the Whitehall

Street Terminal in lower Manhat- tan and the St. George Terminal in

Staten Island. The system provides 24-hour-a-day service in all kinds of weather, carrying thousands of com- muters, tourists and others daily across New York Harbor. The ra- dars on the ferries, must be con- stantly running.

The project includes the installa- tion of at least one—and sometimes two—Furuno radars in each of the two wheelhouses of the double-ended ferries. The smallest and newest of the ferries, for example, the 1,200- passenger Austin Class John A.

Noble, is now equipped with two

Furuno FR-2010 radars and one

Furuno FMD-8100 remote display in each wheelhouse. The older pas- senger-vehicle Kennedy Class fer- ries, the American Legion and Gov- ernor Herbert H. Lehman, now have one FR-2010 and one FMD-8100 re- mote display in each wheelhouse.

The Staten Island Ferry system also includes another Kennedy Class ves- sel, the John F. Kennedy, and two newer 6,000-passenger-only Barberi

Class vessels, the Andrew J. Barberi and Samuel I. Newhouse. The

Newhouse will be the last vessel to be refitted this summer. Most of the installation work will take place at the Pier 7 Maintenance Facility on

Staten Island.

According to Stephen Keller of

AAT Communications, his company has supplied marine electronics to most of the tugs, dredges, etc., oper- ating in the New York port area.

Recent installations performed by

AAT Communications include new

Furuno radar onboard the pilot boat

New York for the Sandy Hook Pilots and the bulk of the electronics for the Port Jefferson ferry, which op- erates between Port Jefferson, Long

Island and Bridgeport, Conn. "We're proud and pleased that the City of New York has chosen

Furuno radars for the Staten Island ferries," said William Dupre, presi- dent of Furuno USA, Inc. "When it comes to the safety of thousands of daily passengers, you can't compro- mise on the performance and reli- ability of your radar. That's why they chose Furuno."

AAT Communications Corp.,

Staten Island, which has maintained the Staten Island Ferry electronics since the 1950s, is the prime con- tractor for the entire installation of the Furuno radars. Their work will include the fabrication of support structures and all electrical, elec- tronic and mechanical aspects of the installation. AAT will also provide training and on-site support.

For more information on Furuno radars and the entire line of Furuno marine electronics,

Circle 49 on Reader Service Card such as law enforcement and secu- rity agency work to patrolling Eco- nomic Exclusion Zones (EEZ).

Managing director of VT, Mar- tin Jay commented, "This design offers the capabilities required by overseas agencies involved in anti- drug, immigration, smuggling and

EEZ protection duties."

The hull form of the new vessel is based on that of VT's Island Class patrol cutter's presently in service with the U.S. Coast Guard, though with major internal improvements to machinery lay-out and accommo- dation.

The vessel will be 110.7 feet long with a beam of 24.6 feet. Two inde- pendent fixed pitch propellers will be driven by a Paxman Valenta 12

CM marine diesel engine. For eco- nomical cruising speed a Perkins

Condor CV8M600TI diesel auxiliary engine will drive a Hamilton 422 waterjet unit. VT expects to deliver the new patrol vessels to Her

Majesty's (HM) Customs and Ex- cise in Autumn 1993.

The new boats will significantly increase the Department's opera- tional capability in territorial and international waters, forming an integral part of its overall maritime anti-smuggling strategy of aerial surveillance, cutters, regional boats and local resources.

For free literature detailing

Vosper Thornycroft's new 34-meter cutter design or other company ser- vices,

Circle 21 on Reader Service Card

W.A. Equipment Named

U.S. Agent For Winel

Tank Vent Check Valves

Winel B .V. of Holland has named

W.A. Equipment Co., Kenner, La., its U.S. agent and stocking distribu- tor for Winel tank vent check valves used by the marine and offshore industry.

W.A. Equipment Co. is respon- sible for marketing the complete

Winel marine product line which includes SOLAS 2 and 3 watertight sliding doors, shell doors, ventila- tion cowls, cast aluminum vent check valves, standard and custom-design marine doors and hatches.

For free literature detailing the the Winel product line from W.A.

Equipment,

Circle 97 on Reader Service Card

Boats & Barges

Vosper Thornycroffs New

Customs Cutter Ready For Export

Artist's impression of the 34-meter cutter Vosper Thornycroft is to build for the U.K.'s HM Customs and

Excise service.

Vosper Thornycroft (VT) has an- nounced that it sees considerable export potential for its 34-meter pa- trol cutter design which it is to build for the United Kingdom's depart- ment of Customs and Excise.

The design is reported to be the latest in the line of vessels VT has built for navies and maritime agen- cies throughout the world. Vessels previously built by VT have been used for a wide range of applications .PORTATIO" 130 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News