Fla. shipbuilder launches DHS ferry

Gulfstream Shipbuilding of Freeport, Fla., launched a custom passenger/vehicle ferry for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on July 12. The 118-foot x 27-foot x 10.75-foot crew boat-style vessel is to be delivered in the fall 2017 for service in New York and Connecticut waters. The aluminum ferry will service the DHS Directorate of Science and Technology Plum Island Animal Disease Center in Orient Point, N.Y. The vessel is capable of transporting passengers, freight and vehicles in and around the waters of the Eastern Long Island Sound and Gardiner’s Bay. It is the fourth vessel Gulfstream Shipyard has built and delivered to operate near the Eastern Long Island Sound waters, according to Joe Heinz, sales engineer with Gulfstream. The initial contract was awarded in 2016. Working with Naval Architect C. Fly Marine Services of Mandeville, La., Gulfstream and its design team incorporated key design elements to meet and exceed the Critical Vessel Objective. (Source: Marine Link 07/19/17) Freeport is about 40 miles east of Eglin AFB, Fla.