Casco Bay Lines awards contract for new ferry
Starting in the fall of 2011, Casco Bay Lines will have a new ferry for transporting passengers to and from the islands, now that a Rhode Island company was awarded a nearly $3.4 million contract.
Paul Pottle, the Maine Department of Transportation's project manager for the new ferry, told Mainebiz that Blount Boats of Warren, R.I., was officially awarded the job Friday after it submitted the lowest bid. The company has built nine ferries for the Portland-based operator.
"They have built many of the vessels that Casco Bay operates today," says Pottle, "and Casco Bay has been very happy with them."
Pottle says the second lowest bid of $4.3 million was from Washburn Doughty & Associates of East Boothbay and the third lowest bid was submitted by Steiner Shipyard Inc. of Bayou La Batre, Ala.
Hank Berg, general manager of Casco Bay Lines, says Blount Boats will construct a new 110-foot ferry that can carry 399 passengers. The new vessel will replace the 65-foot Island Romance, which will then be sold and its proceeds put toward the cost of constructing the new vessel. When finished, Berg says the new boat will look very similar to the fleet's Aucocisco III, a 110-foot boat that also carries 399 passengers and was constructed in 2005.
Berg says the new boat will allow Casco Bay Lines to carry 100 more passengers than it can aboard the Island Romance, boosting ridership and fare revenues, especially during the summer season that typically runs from mid-June through Labor Day weekend. Part of the funds to buy the ferry comes from $5.5 million in federal stimulus funds the DOT received in 2009 for ferry replacement and refurbishment. Maine was among 19 states that received some of the more than $60 million available.
Berg says Casco Bay Lines' five ferries transported 879,000 passengers in fiscal year 2010, which ran from April 1, 2009, to March 31. He says revenues from passenger fares exceeded $4.3 million, which was an increase over the $4.2 million in passenger fares in the previous fiscal year.
The fleet provides year-round service to Chebeague, Cliff, Long, Peaks, Great Diamond and Little Diamond islands, as well as trips to Bailey Island during the summer season.
Attempts to reach Blount officials for comment this week were unsuccessful.
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