Expert Maritime ECO-Ferry ™Consulting and Contract Services

National Ferry Corporation

 

Potomac Waterborne Study:  Project Overview

In September 2007, National Ferry commenced its initial investigation into the water-front landscape in Washington, DC (on the Anacostia River and along the Potomac River). The initial consensus among all interested parties is that the need for additional waterborne transportation in this region is apparent and they are excited by our vision at National Ferry. 

Safe passage over Washington DC’s strategic waters is key in establishing reliable service that commuters and tourists can trust.    Working in partnership with local stakeholders is a key ingredient in National Ferry plan for long-term success and will be vital to the establishment of a long-term waterborne transportation solution.

Uniting DC Metro area stakeholders  will ensure that ferry service can be sustained on the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers.  To achieve successful results, support of a comprehensive concept of operations needs to be prepared, demonstrated, and confirmed. Regional developers should participate with local governments in pre-operational discussions of landing rights, embarkation points,  inter-modal connectivity of transportation, and potential daily users of the envisioned system. An ensuing ferry service demonstration project would provide a series of data and recommendations for future ferry service alternatives along the Anacostia and Potomac rivers.

Phases of the DC Project also need to include more recent data and trends analysis to define market size for commuter and tourist users of the system, ferry rider tolerances concerning cost and frequency of service, recent additions to embarkation points, and the required intermodal transportation connectivity from ferry service stops to other means of mass transit.  In developing new service criterion, NFC will employ market definition techniques, economic data modelling, and business case analysis to determine the cost-benefit.  Results will provide economic modelling data to further detail plans for phases that could lead to a world-class ferry system that is envisioned to ease the daily strain that is experienced the multitudes of commuters who travel the jam-packed roads of the DC Region.

In April 2008, National Ferry received approval of its ECO-FERRY Trademark from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and completed initial efforts to assist in the design of a low-wash, high-speed, eco-ferry that will work within the current bridge-height constraints of the Washington, DC waterways.  National Ferry believes vessels of this design will provide clean and wonderful waterborne sightseeing and transportation for the demanding public. National Ferry also believes it essential that public funding and tax incentives become available to spur the production and utilization of environmentally-friendly designed vessels in the not to distant future.

NFC’s vision is to restore DC to its historical use of its natural water highways for  environmentally-friendly waterborne transportation. Doing so will help ease traffic congestion and make regularly scheduled excursions available for government employees, military and civilian base operators, and thousands more reliant upon public transportation services. 

Getting There From Here

Further pre-operational short-term studies will provide necessary data to secure stakeholder input, establish safe and secure embarkation/debarkation sites and landing rights, obtain necessary permitting, and model forecasted ferry ridership.

NFC has commenced work on a Demonstration System Requirements Document (DSRD) that, when completed, will provide ridership projections, vessel requirements, service requirements, business case for fare structure and system costs, and necessary landside infrastructure. NFC’s vision is that the results our DSRD will provide data  that could spawn the viability for regular ferry service routes on the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers.  However, additional stakeholders and subsidies will be vital to the establishment of a sustainable ferry system. Only a strong partnership with the area stakeholders will enable a ferry service and to steer the program toward self-sustainment.