MV Finest is an aluminum-hulled[6] catamaran fast passenger ferry built at Derecktor Shipyards in 1997 for New York Fast Ferry Services. She is owned and operated by Kitsap Transit on a Seattle–Kingston route since 2018. Finest is a former NY Waterway vessel and at one point provided service from the Massachusetts mainland to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.[7]
 MV Finest pierside in Kingston, Washington
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Port Imperial Ferry Corp. |
| Route | Manhattan–Port Imperial, New Jersey |
| Builder | Derecktor Shipyards |
| Completed | 1996 |
| Identification | MMSI 366990580, IMO number: 9132076 |
| Owner | Kitsap Transit |
| Port of registry | Bremerton, Washington, United States |
| Route | Seattle–Port of Kingston, Kitsap County |
| Acquired | October 2018 |
| Refit | March–October 2018, Nichols Brothers shipyard, Whidbey Island, $5 million |
| Status | Started commuter service November 26, 2018 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Catamaran high-speed craft (fast ferry) |
| Tonnage | 408 GT[1] |
| Length | 38 m (124 ft 8 in)[1] |
| Beam | 10 m (32 ft 10 in)[1] |
| Height | 6 m (19 ft 8 in) |
| Draft | 3 m (9 ft 10 in) |
| Installed power | 2 × MTU 16V398 TE74 L marine diesel engines,[2]: 4–1 4,000 kW (5,400 hp) total[3] |
| Propulsion | Water jet drive[2]: 1–3 |
| Speed | 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)[4] |
| Capacity | 350 passengers[5] and 16 bicycles |
| Notes | Vessel data via US Coast Guard Vessel Information Service unless noted |
9/11 maritime evacuation
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While in service in New York Harbor for New York Fast Ferry Services, Finest participated in the maritime evacuation of Lower Manhattan after the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks.[5][8] According to her captain, she was the second vessel to arrive at Manhattan to transfer injured people off the island.[9]
Puget Sound service
editAfter her purchase by Kitsap Transit, she was moved through the Panama Canal in February 2018, on the back of another vessel, then overhauled in Washington State for more than $7.5 million.[5][4]
In early November 2018, Kitsap Transit announced that Finest would begin Kitsap Fast Ferries passenger service on November 26 that year.[10] The state governor visited the ship and terminal at Kingston while attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 19 in advance of scheduled service.[11][12]
References
edit- ^ a b c Vesselfinder
- ^ a b Invitation for bids: M/V Finest refurbishment (PDF), Kitsap Transit, December 8, 2017, KT 17-591
- ^ Engine specifications, MTU, accessed 2018-11-02
- ^ a b Vosler, Christian (October 19, 2018), "Kitsap Transit takes delivery of M/V Finest", Kitsap Sun
- ^ a b c Vosler, Christian (February 2, 2018), Foot ferry, which will work Kingston-Seattle route, begins journey to Kitsap: The M/V Finest will journey through the Panama Canal to get to Puget Sound., Seattle: KING-TV
- ^ MV Finest Coast Guard Vessel Documentation via National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Science and Technology – retrieved November 1, 2018
- ^ Kate Stone Lombardi (August 16, 1998), "Shipyard To Launch Its Biggest Vessel Ever", The New York Times
- ^ 9/11 maritime response Portside New York
- ^ ""We stopped counting:" Former captain of Kingston's newest ferry recalls evacuating thousands on 9/11", Kitsap Daily News, Poulsbo, Washington, August 16, 2018
- ^ David Gutman (November 7, 2018), "Kitsap Transit launching Kingston-to-Seattle fast ferry service after Thanksgiving", The Seattle Times
- ^ "Governor Inslee on Facebook", Official website, Office of the Governor of the State of Washington, November 19, 2018, retrieved 2018-11-19
- ^ Kitsap Transit launches Fast Ferry service from Kingston to Seattle, Tacoma: KCPQ television news, retrieved 2018-11-19
External links
edit
- Kitsap Transit fast ferry program official website
- Kitsap Sun Bremerton Beat Blast: Previewing Kingston's new fast ferry Christian Vosler October 30, 2018 (video)
- MV Finest drone footage on YouTube, October 2018