Page 31: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 2021)

GREAT SHIPS of 2021

SSG

Michael

H. Ollis

First in a new class for a New York City icon here’s a lot to like about the newest vessel commis- sioned by the New York City Department of Trans-

T portation’s (NYCDOT) iconic Staten Island Ferry.

The state-of-the art 320-foot, 4,500-passenger SSG Michael

H. Ollis commissioned in October sports the classic design features of the instantly recognizable the Staten Island Ferry ? eet, but it’s updated throughout for improved comfort, safety and ef? ciency.

Named in honor of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis, a

Staten Island native who was killed shielding fellow soldiers from a suicide bomber in Afghanistan in 2013, the newbuild is the ? rst in a series of three Ollis class ferries designed by

Eastern Shipbuilding Group

Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) and built by Eastern Ship- building Group for Staten Island Ferry. “The Staten Island storm Sandy the vessels would be used, if necessary, to help

Ferry is an iconic transportation vessel recognized around the evacuate New York City. According to Waterhouse, part of globe. For [the new ferry class] to honor one of our fallen he- this resiliency is the Voith Schneider propulsion units, which roes makes it even more special,” said Joey D’Isernia, Presi- allow “a great deal of maneuverability and control of the dent of Eastern Shipbuilding Group, said vessel when coming into places that might not be its normal

According to Eastern, the new ferries are larger, re? ect dock.” The new vessels also feature side doors so that they modern technology and will operate more safely in extreme can load passengers alongside instead of solely through the weather conditions. They feature new customer-service ame- ends of the ferry.

nities such as more comfortable seating and phone-charging Each ferry features four ABS Electro-Motive Diesel outlets and an oval upper-deck promenade that will for the (EMD) L12ME23B at 750 rpm EPA Tier 4 marine propul- ? rst time serve as an outdoor walking track for riders. sion engines with two engines powering one ABS Reintjes

John Waterhouse, chief concept engineer at EBDG, said DUP 3000 P combining gear and one ABS 36 RV6 ECS/285- a key priority when designing the Ollis class was to ensure 2 Voith Schneider Propeller at each end of the vessel. Power the new ferries interface seamlessly with existing terminals generation is provided by three ABS, EPA Tier 3 marine con- to ensure that the service maintains its “brisk schedule”. In tinuous duty diesel generator sets, Caterpillar C18 driving addition, the new ferries were designed with a number of “re- 480 V, 60 Hz, 3-phase generators rated at 425 kW at 0.8 P.F. siliency features” in mind, as in the wake of 9/11 and Super- at 1,800 rpm.

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