NY Waterway Taps Allen Marine.

• Position: To build ferries - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

NY Waterway has ordered four new high-speed ferries from Allen Marine Inc. of Sitka, and expects to have some of the new boats in service this year on new routes, said NY Waterway President Arthur E. Imperatore, Jr.

The new "Sea Otter" class ferries carry 97 passengers at speeds of more than 30 knots, approximately 35 mph. They are single-hull boats with three water-jet engines and include the bow-loading feature unique to NY Waterway ferries, allowing safe, efficient passenger loading and unloading. The cost per boat is $1 million, Imperatore said.

In a unique trans-continental partnership, NY Waterway, the largest privately operated commuter ferry service in the U.S., already has taken delivery of five 27-knot catamaran ferries from Allen Marine. "We had to go all...