New York State gains new hybrid-electric ferry

The $33 million ferry will replace an existing diesel-powered vessel which has been in continuous use since 1956. It has capacity for up to 1200 passengers and 30 delivery or commercial vehicles, and has a cruising speed of 10-12 knots – speeds reportedly up to 66 per cent faster than existing ferries. In terms of hardware, the Harbor Charger features a Siemens Energy BlueDrive Eco diesel-electric system plus the BlueVault battery-based solution and a technology platform called EcoMain – both also from Siemens. The boat itself was designed by the Elliot Bay Design Group, which also designed the passenger-only GOVERNORS 1 ferry that launched in 2019.

According to the Governors Island trust, the ferry is built out of more than 465 tons of steel and uses Schottle azmuthing thrusters to enable 360-degree steering. Aboard the ship, there’s an accessible lounge, bathrooms, plus ‘modern amenities’ although no details have been shared on what these are. Authorities have not provided a full breakdown of how the new ferry was funded, but it reportedly received a $7.5m grant from the Federal Transit Administration.

Governors Island is located just outside New York Harbor, and sits between Manhattan Island and Brooklyn. It’s a popular tourist destination with a number of historic buildings and a public park. Previously a military installation, it’s been fully open to the public since 2019 and hosts a number of art and cultural events. It is only accessible by ferries from Brooklyn and Manhattan and has no full-time residents.

David Turner, Project Manager for Elliott Bay Design Group, said: “EBDG’s team of marine engi­neers and design­ers pro­vid­ed con­tract design and then act­ed as own­er’s rep­re­sen­ta­tive through­out con­struc­tion of the new hybrid-elec­tric fer­ry, the Har­bor Charg­er. This ves­sel is a tes­ta­ment to the pow­er of col­lab­o­ra­tion — between the Trust, Con­rad Ship­yard, Siemens Ener­gy and a ded­i­cat­ed group of indus­try part­ners. Togeth­er, we’ve helped bring a sus­tain­able and beau­ti­ful­ly designed fer­ry to life.”

Congressman Dan Goldman added: “The Har­bor Charg­er is more than just a fer­ry. It’s a mod­el for sus­tain­able infra­struc­ture that con­nects our com­mu­ni­ties while cut­ting car­bon emis­sions and cre­at­ing 21st-cen­tu­ry jobs. Gov­er­nors Island is lead­ing the way toward a green­er, more resilient future for New York City, and I’m proud to have helped secure $7.5 mil­lion in fed­er­al fund­ing for the project. I com­mend the Trust for Gov­er­nors Island for their bold vision, and I look for­ward to see­ing this remark­able ves­sel serve New York­ers for gen­er­a­tions to come.”

govisland.com