RALEIGH – The Hatteras-class ferries M/V Kinnakeet and the M/V Chicamacomico will be replaced in 2020 by two new, river-class vehicle ferries, the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division announced Monday.
The Ferry Division has awarded a contract to the Gulf Island Shipyards of Houma, Louisiana, for the construction of the two ferries that will cost a total of $22.85 million.
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The vessels will be paid for with money from the Ferry Division’s Vessel Replacement Fund.
The two new ferries, tentatively named the M/V Avon and the M/V Salvo, will carry 40 vehicles each and are scheduled to be delivered in 2020, when the M/V Kinnakeet and the M/V Chicamacomico will be replaced.
“These two new boats, along with the two others already under construction, will both increase our capacity and upgrade our technology,” Ferry Division Director Harold Thomas said in a statement. “The new ferries mark a major step in improving and modernizing the North Carolina Ferry System.”
