Construction Begins on Newest Washington Island Ferry

Submitted.

On Aug. 12, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding invited team members from the Washington Island Ferry Line to witness the start of construction on  Madonna, the line’s newest year-round ferry.

Workers in the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding fabrication shop completed the first burn of steel material for the vessel, which will measure 124 feet in length (with a 40-foot beam and 10 feet, eight inches in depth). It will hold as many as 28 vehicles and 150 passengers – the largest in the ferry line’s fleet to date – and is scheduled for delivery in late May 2020.

“We are pleased to build what is our third ferry for Washington Island,” said Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding VP and General Manager Todd Thayse. “All current ferry vessels were built in Sturgeon Bay – two by Peterson Builders, and this will be our third here at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding.”

“This opportunity to build yet another ferry vessel in a Door County shipyard is something we’re extremely proud of,” said Washington Island Ferry Line President Hoyt Purinton. “Built locally, this ferry – like our other vessels – will operate exclusively in Door County waters between Washington Island and the tip of the Door peninsula.”