Admiralty Lawsuit Attorneys

Ferry Boats

Ferry boats are a form of transportation that are used to carry (or ferry) passengers and their vehicles across a body of water. Ferries can also be used to transport freight and even railroad cars. The majority of ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services.

Ferries are an integral part of the public transportation systems of many waterfront cities and island. They allow direct transit between points at a capital cost that is much lower than bridges or tunnels. While most work locally, there are ship connections of much larger distances that are also called ferry services, particularly when they carry vehicles. This is particularly true in the Mediterranean Sea.

The design of a ferry depends on the length of the route, the passenger or vehicle capacity required, the speed necessary, and the water conditions that the craft must deal with.

Double-ended ferries have interchangeable bows and sterns. This allows them to shuttle back and forth between two terminals without having to turn around. The Staten Island Ferry, Washington State Ferries, and the Lake Champlain Transportation Company are all well-known double-ended ferry systems.

Hydrofoils are another type of ferry. They have the advantage of higher cruising speeds and have succeeded hovercraft on some of the English Channel routes. Passenger-only hydrofoils also have proven to be fast, practical, and relatively economical solutions. In some areas, they have been replaced by even faster catamaran “high speed” ferries that can carry cars.

Hovercraft was developed during the 1960s and 1970s to carry cars. The largest ever was the massive SRN4. This ferry carried cars in its center section with ramps at both the bow and the stern. It travelled between England and France. The hovercraft has been replaced by catamarans which are almost as fast but are also less affected by sea and weather conditions.

Catamarans, ships with two hulls, are typically associated with high-speed ferry services. Stena Line operates the largest catamarans in the world between the United Kingdom and Ireland. These are waterjet-powered vessels and can accommodate 375 passenger cars and 1,500 passengers. Other examples of these super-sized catamarans are found in the Brittany Ferries fleet that operates the Normandie Express and the Normande Vitesse.

Contact an Admiralty Lawyer

If you have been involved in a commercial boating accident, contact the admiralty lawyers of Williams Kherkher at 1-800-220-9341 to schedule an initial consultation.