De Blasio welcomes NYC ferry boats to New York Harbor

April 17, 2017 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Mayor Bill de Blasio welcomed the first NYC Ferry to New York Harbor for a dedication ceremony at Brooklyn Bridge Park on Monday. Photo courtesy of Michael Appleton, Mayoral Photography Office

Share this:

Mayor Bill de Blasio welcomed the first three of 20 total NYC Ferry vessels into New York Harbor this morning. The boats departed from Liberty Landing in New Jersey before docking at Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

The docking included the christening of the first NYC Ferry vessel, named “Lunchbox” by Bay Ridge’s P.S. 170 2nd graders, was christened by Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, who will serve as “godmother” to the ferry boat. The dedication ceremony also included a reading of Sailor’s Paraphrase of the 23rd Psalm by FDNY Chaplain Ann Kansfield. Additional boats will be christened in the coming weeks.

“As we prepare for launch day on May 1, we celebrate the arrival of NYC Ferry to New York Harbor and what this new citywide ferry service represents: greater opportunity for every New Yorker, from the Rockaways to the Bronx, and at just $2.75 a ride,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

In addition to welcoming the new boats, the city announced the construction of new infrastructure at Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Atlantic Basin in Red Hook that will serve New Yorkers when the South Brooklyn route launches in June.

Mayor Bill de Blasio also released a new 2017 NYC Ferry map, and announced schedules for the Rockaway Route and East River Route, both of which will be operating May 1. The new maps and timetables can be viewed at ferry.nyc.

“After months of construction and weeks of travel, the new NYC Ferry boats are officially here in the five boroughs,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation President and CEO James Patchett. “And in just two weeks’ time, New Yorkers will be able to ride these brand new boats themselves — to work, to school or to explore all the incredible things our waterfront has to offer.”

The map and timetable will be displayed at all East River and Rockaway landings by May 1, and at the South Brooklyn and Astoria landings prior to those routes launching in June and August. When the system is fully launched, in 2018, the combined routes will cover more than 60 miles of waterway.

Information from the Mayor’s Office