New Staten Island Ferry spotted off the beaches of Hatteras Island

Ferry sightings near Hatteras and Ocracoke Inlets are not at all unusual, but a distinctive orange ferry that was spotted miles off the Outer Banks’ shoreline on Wednesday grabbed the attention of many beachgoers.

The distant orange ferry in question was actually the brand new Staten Island ferry that was en route to its new home in New York. Built by Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG), the new ferry departed the company’s Port St. Joe Shipyard in Florida around September 3 to embark on a 14-day journey to New York City.

The new ferry, named “Dorothy Day” after a renowned Staten Island activist and journalist, is the third and final Ollis Class Staten Island Ferry built by ESG for the City of New York Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) Staten Island Ferry Division. The double-ended ferry is 230 ft. long, requires a crew of 16, and can carry up to 4,500 passengers on every trip.

While traveling along the Outer Banks, the ferry may have been as close as eight miles off the beach, per the towing company assisting with the transportation.

The ferry is expected to arrive in New York on Friday morning, September 16, where it is scheduled to begin transporting Staten Island passengers later this year.

“It has been an honor for our company to build the three Ollis Class Staten Island Ferries for the citizens of New York City marking a bold new chapter in the Staten Island Ferry’s 200-year-old legacy of public transportation,” said Joey D’Isernia, President of Eastern Shipbuilding Group. “These cutting-edge ferries are now the premier vessels of the world’s busiest passenger-only ferry system that has reliably served the people of New York, New Jersey, and the millions of tourists New York City welcomes each year. ”