GPA awarded car ferry contract
The Jumbo Mark II class ropax ferry Wenatchee operated by the Washington State Ferries.
Seattle-based naval architect and marine engineering firm Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA) signed an agreement with Todd Pacific Shipyards to deliver the detailed engineering for the B-Series 64 Auto Ferries ordered by Washington State Ferries (WSF).
The B-Series ferries, of which two ferries are confirmed to be built with an option for a third, are a continuation of the first 64-Auto ferries design for which GPA delivered the final design and production engineering in 2009 after completing the final design for the WSF 144-car ferry in November of 2008.
The 83m 64B-car ferry, intended to carry 750 passengers and 64 standard cars, is equipped with two 3,000hp engines driving controllable pitch propellers, which is the main difference to the original 64-car ferry, which is equipped with fixed pitch propellers.
Construction for the B-Class ferries is expected to commence in April 2010 with delivery for the first ferry expected in Summer 2011. The ferries, owned by WSF, will be part of the largest ferry system in the United States and the third largest in the world, transporting over 24 million passengers annually.Images for this article - click to enlarge
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