Company plans U.S. high speed ferry service

Company plans U.S. high speed ferry service The British naval architecture firm BMT Nigel Gee and Associates said it has completed the detailed design of a high-speed ferry that will be used to move trucks and passengers on coastal U.S. routes and reduce U.S. traffic congestion.
   Gee said the design was done for SeaBridge USA, which BMT said would build the ships at VT Halter and “use the vessel to establish short sea operations on the unserved coasts of the USA.”
   According to Gee, “SeaBridge will build the high-speed pentamaran ships for a network of routes, which will carry trucks, cars and passengers between major metropolitan areas (initially on East and Gulf coast routes), thereby providing a highly cost-effective option to reduce rapidly growing highway congestion in US coastal corridors.”
   “SeaBridge will not compete for freight. Instead, it will provide an effective option for long-haul trucking customers to complete journeys without exposing drivers to frustrating delays and related risks on America’s increasingly congested coastal highways,” a BMT announcement added.
   The company said the design is configured to carry about 173 trailers or 75 trailers and 500 cars. Passenger capacity is flexible, with up to 1,800 passenger berths provided.
   The vessels would have a length of 300 meters and have a maximum service speed of 42 knots.