The US Army Corps of Engineers has taken delivery of a new, all-steel utility vessel, set to be deployed by the National Park Service (NPS) at Ellis Island, home of the Statue of Liberty.
Named after Irish teenager Annie Moore, the first person to clear Ellis Island immigrant inspection in 1892, the vessel was designed by New Orleans-based TAI Engineers and will mainly be used to ferry national and international dignitary guests and VIPs to and from the renowned landmark. This newbuild proved to be of particular significance to Anil Raj, president of TAI, who recalls: “My very first arrival to the US was via New York in 1969. While landing at JFK, the Pan American airline pilot tipped the plane wings and announced a view of the Statue of Liberty from the window. He stated that she was welcoming new immigrants to ‘Liberty and Justice for All’ in the US. I feel especially privileged that our company was a part of this project.” Construction was carried by TAI in cooperation with local subcontractor Aluma Marine.
Annie Moore measures 22.6m in length and 7.3m in beam, can seat up to 40 passenger and is powered by two Caterpillar C18 engines. A knuckle boom crane has been installed forward, to load and unload palletised cargo.
Additionally, to handle the most treacherous New York winters, the vessel was constructed with ice-strengthened reduction gears, propulsion shafts, rudders and propellers, and its ice belt and bow structure have been designed to ABS Ice Class C0 rules.
