The Cape May-Lewes Ferry is down to one vessel after an underwater inspection revealed a need for dry dock repairs.
Results of the MV New Jersey’s inspection included areas of the hull-plate and some welds that require attention. The vessel will undergo the work at a dry-dock will take place at Caddell’s Shipyard in Staten Island, NY, the Delaware River and Bay reported.
“We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience that this situation may cause,” said Heath Gehrke, director of Ferry Operations,” but ensuring passenger safety through proper maintenance is one of our core values.”
Gehrke anticipates that the repairs will take about three weeks to complete.
This comes at a time when the MV Delaware is still undergoing a scheduled engine repowering. The MV Delaware is not expected to return to service until mid-May.
With two ferries out of commission, service will be limited on the remaining vessel, the MV Cape Henlopen through at least April 25, 2016.
The River and Bay Authority does not have a spare vessel, since it sold one ferry and retired another during the past decade as it worked to reduce losses.
All customers with advanced reservations have been contacted and will be accommodated on a scheduled crossing.
Typically, each ferry vessel must be dry-docked twice in a five-year period at an average cost of $1.2 million per dry-docking contract. Each underwater survey costs approximately $30,000.
By using the underwater program since the United States Coast Guard first approved it in 2002, the CMLF has conducted more than ten inspections.
Of the underwater inspections performed, only two have required a subsequent dry-docking.
The Ferry is open year-round and has carried more than 43 million passengers since its inception on July 1, 1964.
In 2015, the ferry service transported approximately 275,000 vehicles and nearly 1 million passengers.
Passenger traffic has seen an upturn as marketing programs and other initiatives were undertaken.
