New Ocracoke passenger ferry could be ready by summer, after 3 years of delays

A new passenger-only ferry to Ocracoke could arrive this summer, three years after the original completion date of the troubled vessel project.

Waterline Systems, Inc. had to take over construction of the $4.15 million ferry from U.S. Workboats, the company formerly contracted to build the vessel. The work is being finished in the same boat yard in Hubert, North Carolina.

“The vessel is now nearing completion and we’re hoping it will be completed sometime this summer,” said Tim Hass, spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

The state contracted in 2017 to build a fast-traveling ferry that carried only passengers and no vehicles. U.S. Workboats promised the boat would be delivered by April 2018, then September 2018, then February 2019.

The delays came in large part after Coast Guard inspectors found flaws in welded joints on the hull that compromised its seaworthiness.

While awaiting construction of the boat, the state has leased a passenger ferry the last two summers from SeaStreak, based in New Jersey, for $255,000 a month.

The passenger-only ferry was popular and helped relieve some of the crowds from the conventional ferries that transport vehicles. Nearly 29,000 people took the 70-minute trip between Ocracoke and Hatteras Island in its first year. The number dropped last year during the pandemic-shortened season.

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The state plans to rent the New Jersey ferry again for at least part of this year, with service set to start May 25.

Named the Ocracoke Express, it will depart daily from Hatteras Village at 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Ocracoke departure times are at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are $5 one way. Bicycles are an extra $1.

Conventional ferries will continue to operate at no charge.

Tickets are available at the Hatteras or Ocracoke-Silver Lake terminals. Reservations can also be made at www.ncferry.org or by calling 1-800-BY-FERRY.

Free trams are available to shuttle passengers around Ocracoke Village.

Waterline Systems did not respond to questions sent by email.

Jeff Hampton, 757-446-2090, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com