Cape May-Lewes Ferry Puts Second Boat Up For Sale

NORTH CAPE MAY — Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) has placed a second Cape May-Lewes Ferry boat up for sale, the M/V Twin Capes.
In July 2007, DRBA put the M/V Cape May up for sale but has not sold it.
DRBA spokesman James Salmon told the Herald there was interest in the vessels from buyers in Nigeria and Canada. Both boats have been declared surplus property.
If the boats were sold, that would leave the Cape May-Lewes Ferry with three boats. Salmon said DRBA Commissioners, each year, evaluate the number of daily trips the ferries make across the bay,
He said the ferry could handle its current traffic with three boats.
“This action should not be misconstrued in any way that the DRBA is abandoning the ferry,” said Salmon. “We’re committed to operating the ferry.”
The M/V Twin Capes was built in 1974 and underwent a major renovation in 1996. It resembles a small cruise ship with four bars, glass enclosed areas, a winding staircase and elevator. It has been appraised at $10 million.
The M/V Cape May was refurbished in 1988, has four decks and many of the same extra attractions as the M/V Twin Capes. It has been appraised at $6 million.
Salmon said both boats require larger crews than the rest of the fleet.
The remaining three ferries are basic in design, said Salmon. The ferry operation ran with a $7.5 million deficit last year, he said, made up from surplus from DRBA operating the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
Traffic has been decreasing on the ferry and at this time is equivalent to figures from the early 1980s, said Salmon. The peak of traffic occurred in 1999, he said.
“The service is evolving and trying to adapt to a different day,” said Salmon.
Last year, DRBA Commissioners authorized a contract with AMSEC L.LC., a naval architecture firm and a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman. Salmon said DRBA has the option of installing new engines in its current fleet, which date back to the 1970s, or purchasing new boats.
He said the commission was undertaking a cost benefit analysis. The current ferry fleet was built especially for DRBA.
The Cape May-Lewes Ferry started operations in 1964 with steam powered ferries purchased from the defunct Little Creek-Cape Charles Ferry, which ceased operations when the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel opened.