R.I. Fast Ferry receives approval for high-speed ferry service

THE R.I. Division of Public Utilities and Carriers on Thursday approved an application filed by Rhode Island Fast Ferry Inc. asking permission to provide high-speed ferry service between Quonset Point, North Kingstown, and Old Harbor, Block Island. Charles A. Donadio Jr., president of Rhode Island Fast Ferry, left, shakes hands with Jeffrey Grybowski, CEO of Deepwater Wind LLC, at an event recently. / COURTESY TRIPP BURMAN PHOTOGRAPHY
THE R.I. Division of Public Utilities and Carriers on Thursday approved an application filed by Rhode Island Fast Ferry Inc. asking permission to provide high-speed ferry service between Quonset Point, North Kingstown, and Old Harbor, Block Island. Charles A. Donadio Jr., president of Rhode Island Fast Ferry, left, shakes hands with Jeffrey Grybowski, CEO of Deepwater Wind LLC, at an event recently. / COURTESY TRIPP BURMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Updated 1:18 p.m.
WARWICK – There’s going to be a new way to get to Block Island.
The R.I. Division of Public Utilities and Carriers on Thursday approved an application filed by Rhode Island Fast Ferry Inc. asking permission to provide high-speed ferry service between Quonset Point, North Kingstown, and Old Harbor, Block Island.
“The division finds that RIFF (Rhode Island Fast Ferry) has adequately demonstrated that it is fit, willing and able to operate a water ferry carrier of person and properties between Quonset Point … [and] Block Island,” according to the order. “The division additionally finds that the ‘public convenience and necessity,’ requires RIFF proposed ferry services.”
The decision has been a long time coming, as Rhode Island Fast Ferry filed its application more than three years ago. The process has been repeatedly delayed due to objections raised by opposition, including Interstate Navigation Co., known better as The Block Island Ferry, and the town of Block Island, known formally as New Shoreham. The Block Island Ferry, a year-round ferry service that runs from Point Judith, Narragansett, to Block Island, objected to the new service, saying it would siphon away business, forcing the company to increase rates. The town, likewise, argued against the proposed service, saying it would have a negative impact on the town and its residents.
The division, charged with regulating the transportation industry, rejected those arguments in its order.
“The division must reject [The Block Island Ferry’s] and the town’s contention that the general public interest will suffer if RIFF is permitted to operate a ferry,” according to the order. “Although it is possible that [The Block Island Ferry] may experience reduced ridership in the future, the record does not support definitive conclusions that RIFF’s ferry services between Quonset Point … [and] Block Island will either force interstate from the high-speed ferry market or create any significant hardship for the general public. On the other hand, the record is replete with evidence that there is a public desire for RIFF’s proposed ferry services. The division finds that the satisfaction of this need is paramount to the public interest.”

Michael R. McElroy, a lawyer for Interstate, said in a statement it was “unfortunate that the division did not appropriately recognize Interstate’s importance as the lifeline provider of crucial year-round ferry services,” saying Rhode Island Fast Ferry was “cherry picking” Interstate’s summer passengers.
“The only true beneficiary of this operation will be the owner of the proposed ferry, who will have driven up Block Island’s rates solely to line his pockets with revenues skimmed from Interstate’s lifeline ferry service,” McElroy said.
Interstate is currently reviewing the division’s order to determine whether it will appeal the decision to Superior Court.

Rhode Island Fast Ferry plans to use a 150-300 passenger catamaran to run the 30-mile route from Quonset to Block Island on a seasonal basis. Charles A. Donadio Jr., president and CEO of Rhode Island Fast Ferry, called the approval a new chapter for his company.
“We’re looking forward to growing this company and providing quick access for the public to get to Block Island,” Donadio said. “This is the latest and greatest in water transportation.”
The trip is about 45-50 minutes, and will cost between $40 and $50 per round-trip ticket, according to testimony given during public hearings. The Block Island Ferry same-day, round-trip tickets cost $37.85 for its fast ferry services. The same ticket for the traditional ferry costs $22.75, according to the company’s website.
Donadio says he’s hopeful to get the service up and running as soon as next summer. He has several vessels in his fleet that could run the route, but isn’t ruling out the option to invest in a new one.
The division in its order reserved the right to revisit the issue should problems regarding competition arise in the future.
“In the interest of promoting a proper regulatory framework to facilitate coexistence between RIFF and [The Block Island Ferry], the division finds that if it becomes necessary to examine and adjust the operating schedules of these two carriers, it will open a docket to address this concern,” according to the order.

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