Ohio ferry operator Miller Boat Line has contracted Fraser Shipyards of Superior, Wisconsin, to build a new drive-on, drive-off passenger/vehicle ferry for delivery in fall 2019.
The new ferry will be delivered from Lake Superior to Lake Erie and its new home port of Put-in-Bay, Ohio.
The vessel will be christened Mary Ann Market in honour of the family matriarch and the company's late owner.
The new 42- by 11-metre ferry will be able to accommodate 26 standard-sized vehicles or 600 passengers and will join Miller's present fleet of four passenger/vehicle ferries.
Mary Ann Market will feature enhanced propulsion and manoeuvrability, a main deck ADA-accessible passenger cabin and lavatory, and a 20 per cent increase in cargo capacity over Miller's largest vessel.
The vessel will be built in modules and assembled at Fraser Shipyards beginning fall 2018 and throughout 2019.
