The Ollis-class ferries are a trio of passenger ferries on the Staten Island Ferry, the first of which entered service in 2022. The class is named after US Army Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis, a Staten Islander who was killed in action during the War in Afghanistan in 2013.[1][2]
History
Early work on the class began in August 2014, after a study into the future of Staten Island Ferry's fleet showed that the most economical course would be new-build ships instead of rebuilding existing vessels.[3] The Elliott Bay Design Group was awarded a contract to design the new ships, which will replace MV John F. Kennedy and MV Andrew J. Barberi, resulting in one additional ship in the Staten Island Ferry fleet.[4][3] The following month, substantial funding for the project, covering the construction of two ships, was secured with a $191.6 million federal grant from the Hurricane Sandy relief bill.[5] As part of the new order, city officials allowed passengers to vote on the types of seats that would be installed in the new fleet.[6]
In November 2016, Eastern Shipbuilding was confirmed as the low bidder for constructing the ships,[1] and the shipyard was awarded the contract with a notice to proceed on March 1, 2017.[2] The final price for construction of the three vessels was $314 million; in addition to the federal grant, state and city funding was also used.[2] The first vessel, MV SSG Michael H. Ollis, was expected to be delivered in mid-2019,[2] followed later that year by MV Sandy Ground, named after an early African American settlement on Staten Island.[7]
A petition to name the third Ollis-class ship after Staten Island firefighter John G. Chipura, who died in the September 11 attacks, reached 11,000 signatures by September 2017.[8] Other proposed namesakes include Russel Timoshenko, an NYPD officer killed in the line of duty in 2007.[9] In March 2020, the Mayor's office announced it would be named for Catholic social activist Dorothy Day.[10]
In October 2018, the timeline for the ferries' delivery was pushed back. Some of the parts for the first two Ollis-class ferries were being manufactured at Eastern Shipbuilding's shipyard in Panama City, Florida, which had been severely damaged after Hurricane Michael that month.[11][12] MV SSG Michael H. Ollis was launched in November 2019, with an expected delivery date of August 2020.[13] MV Sandy Ground was launched in June 2020.[14] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the arrival of the new fleet was delayed again in July 2020.[15] MV SSG Michael H. Ollis was towed from Florida to New York in August 2021,[16][17] and she entered service on February 14, 2022.[18]
MV Sandy Ground was delivered at the end of December 2021[19] and entered service on June 17, 2022.[20]
On December 22, 2022, a fire broke out in the engine room of the Sandy Ground.[21]
The third ferry, MV Dorothy Day was launched at 26 March 2021[22] and delivered in September 2022.[23]
Design
Each ship of the class will be 320 feet (98 m) long, with a beam of 70 feet (21 m), and a loaded draft of 13 feet (4.0 m).[2] They will carry 4,500 passengers, with a crew complement of 16.[2][14] They will be powered by four EMD 12-710 diesel engines arranged in two married pairs, each of which drive a cycloidal propeller at each end of the ship for double-ended operation.[2]
