Eastern Hosts Keel Authentication for New Bridgeport-Port Jefferson Ferry

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG) on March 9 hosted a keel authentication ceremony at its Allanton Shipyard in Panama City, Fla. for a new 302-foot auto and passenger ferry for the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company.

Steel cutting for ESG Hull 228 commenced in January 2023 and a delivery is scheduled for 2024. The ferry will operate between Bridgeport, Conn. and Port Jefferson, N.Y.

The ferry is based on the P.T. Barnum and Grand Republic auto and passenger ferries that Eastern Shipbuilding Group previously constructed for McAllister Towing and Transportation Co, owners of the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company. ESG has constructed more than a dozen vessels for McAllister.

ESG CEO and chairman, Joey D’Isernia, said, “We have been doing business with McAllister for more than 30 years. We are very proud that we have earned their trust with a gold standard that repeat customers like Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company and McAllister expect from a shipyard. We look forward to adding another state-of-the-art auto and passenger ferry to their fleet.”

Fred Hall, vice president and general manager of Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company, said, “The Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company is pleased to renew our long-standing relationship with Eastern Shipbuilding Group in building a new state-of-the-art vehicle and passenger ferry for service across Long Island Sound. The new build will join a fleet which includes two other vessels previously built by Eastern: the P.T. Barnum (1999) and the Grand Republic (2003). We look forward to the arrival of an exceptional high-quality vessel that will serve our customers, our crews and our company for many years to come.”

(Image: Eastern Shipbuilding Group)