Ferry Transportation Planning

Adept at all aspects of waterborne transportation systems, Art Anderson Associates can provide some or all of the following planning services for your project. If you have a special need that is not listed here, please feel free to contact us to discuss how we might be able to tailor our services to meet your specific needs.

We work to understand the underlying factors that could support ferry service in a particular region and develop strategies for potential routes, schedules and capital investments (terminals and vessels) to meet and/or induce demand.

We examine current or potential routes and develop strategies to optimize them based on the client's priorities and constraints.

We dig into the operations of a current or proposed ferry system and identify potential value-added measures that can be taken. Areas of interest include the capital, operating and life-cycle costs and effectiveness of vessels, facilities, crew, fuel, maintenance, insurance, regulations, administration and governance.

We research and quantify an existing or proposed ferry system's environmental impact, including emissions, waste handling, wildlife, wake wash, noise, and quality of life.

We assist in the process of selecting a vessel for service by identifying the optimal speed, hull form, capacity, seakeeping requirements, propulsion systems, and other characteristics for a particular route or need, based on the client's unique priorities. We also examine the current vessel market to identify existing vessels or available designs and manufacturers that could build a new vessel to fit the identified requirements.

Typically a follow-on to vessel selection, we assist owners through the vessel procurement process by helping them develop a request for proposals (RFP), identify potential bidders, evaluate proposals, make a selection and negotiate a contract for the vessel(s) alone or vessel/operator combinations.

We can help an owner determine the optimal location for terminals, based on considerations such as geography, intermodal access, marine and landside traffic, regulations and the environment. Once a specific site or sites are identified, we conduct a more detailed analysis of all potential impacts on the service and its surroundings and develop strategies that will optimize the terminal's connection with the landside transportation network.

Successful ferry systems require support facilities beyond the vessels and terminals themselves. We will investigate the various approaches to vessel berthing, maintenance and repair that are possible. We can identify existing facilities that could provide these support activities, analyze any potential gaps in available services, and develop recommendations and strategies to help an owner or operator successfully meet the support needs of their ferry fleet.

We help owners and operators develop operations and maintenance plans for their vessel and facilities that optimize life-cycle costs. Typically these plans are developed for anywhere from a 5 to 20-year planning horizon. We identify and help secure support facilities such as fueling and berthing facilities that minimize cost (i.e. facilities that are close to the location where vessels are operating). We develop schedules for vessel inspections, repairs and overhauls that minimize impacts to levels of service and downtime. We help owners plan for facility and/or vessel replacement, so they aren't caught off-guard by failing infrastructure or insufficient capacity.

We bore deep into the financial aspects of a ferry service. We can analyze overall life-cycle costs, provide commentary on operational and capital costs, analyze the sources of revenue and expense, provide clear metrics for financial performance (e.g. farebox recovery, cost per passenger mile), help determine a system's financial viability and fairly compare costs to alternative transportation options.

Many ferry system owners, such as transportation and public works departments, do not have much in-house expertise with ferry systems. We can contract with an owner to provide ongoing consulting services that may include a variety of specialized tasks. In this role, we serve as an extension of the owner's staff, providing expert analysis, insight and assistance with the particulars of ferry system ownership.

Much like our owner's representation services, we serve as an extension of the owner's staff as a new vessel or terminal is being constructed. We provide day-to-day management and oversight of a construction project to ensure schedule, quality and cost control. We skillfully manage contractors and work with the necessary regulatory agencies on the owner's behalf, to make certain that the final constructed product meets their expectations.