The Maine State Ferry Service’s brand new 149-passenger ferry from its shipyard in Alabama for delivery in Rockland.
At a running speed of 13 knots, the Charles Norman Shay can carry 149 passengers and up to eight cars. The Maine Department of Transportation commissioned the $11 million vessel back in 2022. The ship will operate the Ferry Service’s longest route between Rockland to Matinicus Island. It’s scheduled to begin operating in June or July.
“We’re excited about having a new vessel in the fleet,” said Paul Merrill, the communications director with the Maine Department of Transportation. “The Matinicus run is a special one. It’s a remote island, and it certainly needs and deserves to have a safe and reliable vessel to get folks connected to the mainland.”
Shay will replace Everett Libby, which has been in service since 1960 and currently operates on the Matinicus route. The run is the Ferry Service’s longest route at 23 miles long — almost double the length of the second longest route. Everett Libby takes about two hours and 15 minutes to complete the run.
“When it gets here, [the Shay] will still have to undergo some testing, some Coast Guard assessments before it can officially go into service,” Merrill said. “When it does go into service, we’re hoping to plan some sort of celebration to celebrate all the hard work and investments that have gone into this vessel.”
The ferry is named after Charles Norman Shay — a U.S. Army veteran who served as a combat medic during World War II and the Korean War. At 99 years old, Shay is still alive and a member of the Penobscot Nation.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
