Horizon Shipbuilding’s H200 ferry departing Bayou La Batre, AL, bound for NYC. (Horizon Shipbuilding photo)

The H200, a catamaran passenger vessel built by Horizon Shipbuilding based out of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, began its 1,700-mile voyage to New York City on March 21 with an arrival expected for early April. The vessel is the first of 13 catamaran passenger vessels Horizon is building as part of a citywide initiative New York City’s Mayor, Bill de Blasio, set in order to provide affordable water transport options to residents living in the city’s outer boroughs that will meet the standards of higher-priced private ferry companies, which carry commuters between Manhattan and New Jersey. Metal Shark, a Louisiana-based shipbuilder, sent two of its ferries off to the Big Apple in late February. By 2018, Metal Shark and Horizon will have built 19 ferries for the New York City public transit system’s new fleet. Citywide Ferry by Hornblower will open this summer offering six routes with one-way fares of $2.75 – the same price as a ride on the city’s subway. The Consortium for Resilient Gulf Communities (CRGC) had the opportunity to tour Horizon’s shipyard in Bayou La Batre, AL as part of its ongoing, targeted work to assess and address the public health, economic, and social impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Much of the consortium’s community resilience building work is focused on Bayou La Batre, along with Port Sulphur and Galliano, LA – three Gulf Coastal communities that were impacted by the oil spill. Learn more about CRGC’s efforts to develop capacity for Community Action Planning & Resilience Building. »