NORTH KINGSTOWN – On a recent visit to Rhode Island, Veronica Vanterpool, acting administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration, announced $300 million in grants dedicated to improving ferry services throughout the country.
While Rhode Island did not receive a grant, North Kingstown company Senesco Marine LLC, which hosted the visit on Tuesday, will build two hybrid-powered commuter ferries through a grant awarded to the state of Maine, according to Senesco.
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The two Senesco vessels, the 154-foot-long Captain Almer Dinsmore and the 164-foot Battery Steele, use hybrid diesel-electric propulsion systems to reduce emissions and maintenance needs while increasing system efficiency, Senesco said, adding that the ferries are the first hybrid, commuter vessels of their kind to be built in a Northeast shipyard.
The Maine Department of Transportation, which received a $16.5 million grant to improve rural ferry services across two communities, and its Casco Bay Lines ferry service selected Senesco to carry out the work.
The $300 million FTA funding will cover 18 projects across 14 states. The program supports ferry transportation in urban and rural communities and focuses on limiting environmental impacts associated with ferry services.
The funding “will enhance ways for people to travel by water,” Vanterpool said.
“We applaud ferry agencies for taking the big step toward electrification, increasing reliability and bringing their aging ferry systems into a state of good repair,” she added.
In a statement, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the grants “will make it easier for Americans to move about their day while also protecting the rivers and waterways they depend on economically.”
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
