Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group has won a contract to build three double-ended 4,500 passenger ferries for The City of New York Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) and the Staten Island Ferry Division.

The three Staten Island-Ollis Class Ferries are from a design provided by Elliot Bay Design Group, and will operate between the boroughs of Staten Island and Manhattan.

The first 320 foot long ferry is expected to be delivered in 2019. The value of the contract is approximately US$309m.

The Staten Island Ferry carries over 23 million passengers annually on a 5.2-mile run between the St. George Terminal in Staten Island and the Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan. The Ferry runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.