Page 62: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (July 1996)

Pound For Pound,

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Densities Up To 400 pcf (S.G. 6.4)

Inorganic, removable, and available in a wide range of densities, Ballast-

Crete is the ballast of choice for naval architects and engineers around the world. For more information, call

Red land Genstarat (410) 682-5985.

Redland

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Circle 201 on Reader Service Card

CAPSTANS

DRBA Invests Millions To

Revamp Ferry by Nina D. Miller, assistant editor

After a $27-million, 15-month refurbishment project, M/V

Twin Capes returned to the

Delaware River and Bay

Authority (DRBA) ferry fleet, and took its inaugural cruise on

May 25. The fleet, comprised of

M/V Twin Capes, M/V

Delaware, M/V New Jersey (all sisterships built in 1974 at

Todd Shipyard, Houston,

Texas), M/V Cape Henlopen and

M/V Cape May (sisterships built in 1981 and 1985, respec- tively, at Norfolk Shipbuilding,

Norfolk, Va.), carries more than 1.2 million passengers annually on the 17-mi., 75-min. journey between Cape May, N.J., and

Lewes, Del.

While all five ships carry 100 cars, Twin

Capes can now hold 1,000 passengers — 200 more than each of the other members of the fleet. The vessel's mechanical and safety equipment were updated with new, state-of- the-art technology, including an airplane-style evacuation chute system designed by Dunlop-

Beaufort, Inc. of Vancouver, B.C. — reportedly the first of its kind to be installed on a ferry in the U.S. In addition, two elevators connecting the car deck to the passenger decks were added. Twin Capes now offers two levels of din- ing onboard — a restaurant and foodcourt ser- vice. The vessel also features a 100-seat, glass enclosed dining area with provisions for live entertainment. Other amenities of Twin Capes include a gift shop, children's play area, sun deck, traveler information center and two addi- tional passenger lounges. To allow for this refurbishment, the old passenger salon, second deck and pilothouse were removed, leaving the car deck and hull. An entirely new superstruc- ture consisting of four decks was constructed onto the hull of the ship, in essence, creating a new ferry.

According to Jim Salmon, public informa- tion officer at DRBA, the organization realizes the operation of the ferry is very seasonal — generating most, if not all of its profit between

May and September. "This is a tourism and vacation business, as well as transportation," said Mr. Salmon. With the revamped Twin

Capes, DRBA hopes to broaden the scope of its ferry service. Twin Capes is now a setting for corporate affairs, weddings and other catered events.

On May 18-19, after the evacuation chute sys- tem passed U.S. Coast Guard testing, Twin

Capes set sail on trial voyages which carried a combined total of 1,500 passengers for both days. "The response has been good, but we won't realize the full magnitude until the busy season," said Mr. Salmon. Nonetheless, 1,200 reservations were made for Twin Capes within a two-day period following these excursions.

In all, 1,200 guests were invited to attend the inaugural cruise on May 25, including local area business leaders, dignitaries and mem- bers of the press. The passengers embarked for a four-hour cruise from Cape May at 3 p.m., and then enjoyed an evening of dinner, dancing and a tour of the vessel. The first customers rode the vessel on May 26, and on June 14,

Twin Capes commenced seven-day per weekj operation.

Delaware underwent less extensive renova- tions in 1994, which provided the ferry with a lido deck, food court and air-conditioning.

According to Mr. Salmon, the next vessel due for renovation is Cape May, which will undergo a $13-14 million restoration in October, putting it in a class between Twin Capes and Delawarel

Twin Capes Refurbishment facts

Navigation system Sperry Marine

Superstructure removal/steelwork reconstruction Newport News Shipbuilding

Vessel outfitting and machinery Norshipco

Interior outfitting Jamestown Metal Marine

Evacuation chute system Dunlop-Beaufort, Inc.

Interior furniture Vemo-Mobel

Heger Dry Dock To Present

Dockmaster's Training Seminar

Heger Dry Dock Engineers, Inc. will host a

Dockmaster's Training Seminar to be held at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott, Norfolk, Va.

The seminar will run from September 17-20, 1996, and is designed to present the latest information on drydocks and drydocking tech- niques to dockmasters, naval architects and others involved with the drydocking of vessels.

Subjects to be covered during the seminar include: dry dock accidents; types of docks; ship characteristics important to drydocking; calcu- lating block loads; stability of ships anl ship/dock systems; blocking; docking planf docking procedures; vessel handling; pumpir plans; drydock inspection; rating of drydockl case studies; and typical predocking calculi tions required for U.S. naval vessels. Robei

Heger, president and chief engineer of Hegl

Dry Dock, will be the instructor of the cours

Mr. Heger has more than 18 years of expei ence in the drydocking industry. He has pij sented similar seminars to the U.S. Cos

Guard, U.S. Naval Reserves, U.S. naval pJ sonnel, Canadian naval personnel and persq nel from most major U.S. commercial si yards. For information call: (508) 429-1811.1 64 Maritime Reporter/Engineering N