Posted on October 4, 2021
New York, NY – Today, Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG) celebrated the commissioning of MV SSG MICHAEL H. OLLIS, the new, state-of-the art 320 ft, 4,500 passenger ferry. The ceremony was hosted by the Mayor’s Office and New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) and attended by city officials and dignitaries, including members of the Ollis family at New York Harbor. New York Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, sponsor of the DOROTHY DAY, delivered remarks on behalf of ESG.
“This is a very special day for our company and the City of New York,” said Joey D’Isernia, President of Eastern Shipbuilding Group. “The Staten Island Ferry is an iconic transportation vessel recognized around the globe. For it to honor one of our fallen heroes makes it even more special. We are proud to deliver this extraordinary vessel despite the unprecedented challenges of a category 5 hurricane and a global pandemic, and are eager to see it provide comfortable and safe passage to millions of passengers each year.”
This is the first of three Staten Island “Ollis Class” Ferries that ESG is building for New York City. The new Staten Island Ollis Class Ferries series are named after a soldier of the US Army 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, ‘Climb to Glory’, Army Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis. Ollis, a Staten Island native, was killed shielding fellow soldiers from a suicide bomber in Afghanistan on August 28, 2013, while serving during Operation Enduring Freedom. Hull 219, the first of the series, is named in his honor.
The ferry completed harbor trials and passed U.S. Coast Guard inspections. ESG is providing regulatory and detailed production engineering, vessel construction, and delivery of the three new Staten Island Ollis Class Ferries. The ferries have been constructed in ESG’s Allanton yard. ESG’s newest facility in Port St. Joe, Florida performed the outfitting, testing, and trials tasks. The vessels have been a local attraction and significant source of economic development in the Gulf Region.
The new ferries are larger, reflect modern technology, and will operate more safely in extreme weather conditions. They feature popular design elements of past Staten Island Ferries and new customer-service amenities such as more comfortable seating and phone-charging outlets and an oval upper-deck promenade that will for the first time serve as an outdoor “walking track” for ferry riders. They have the latest in marine technology for energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. There are design features on the vessels that are part of the emergency response plan with the city. Lessons from 9/11 were built into this fleet and they can be connected to the New York fire vessels, also built by Eastern Shipbuilding Group, to support evacuations and rescue.
The three Ollis Class double ended 4,500 passenger ferries, are designed by Elliott Bay Design Group, with each ferry featuring four ABS Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) L12ME23B @ 750 rpm EPA Tier 4 marine propulsion engines with two engines powering one ABS Reintjes DUP 3000 P combining gear and one ABS 36 RV6 ECS/285-2 Voith Schneider Propeller at each end of the vessel. Power generation is provided by three ABS, EPA Tier 3 marine continuous duty diesel generator sets, Caterpillar C18 driving 480 V, 60 Hz, 3-phase generators rated at 425 kW at 0.8 P.F. @ 1800 rpm.
ESG Hull #/Names:
H219 – SSG MICHAEL H. OLLIS
H220 – SANDY GROUND
H221 – DOROTHY DAY
Length Overall 320′-0″
Length on Design Load Waterline 308′-3 1/2″
Beam, Molded 70′-0″
Beam over Guards 70′-3″
Depth at Main Deck at Side 21′-6”
Design Draft 13’-0”
Installed Horsepower 9,980 HP
Fuel Oil Capacity (95%, approximate) 30,000 gal
Minimum Seating Capacity 2,551
Maximum Passenger Capacity 4,500
Crew 16
Regulatory ABS A1, Ferry Service, River Service, AMS Notation. USCG Subchapter H
Passenger Vessel
