Planned launch date pushed back at least two to three months.
Citing a lack of skilled workers, the company building the passenger only ferry between Hatteras and Ocracoke will not have the boat ready for the summer as planned. The News & Observer has the story.
“The new passenger-only ferry that the state expected would begin carrying people between Hatteras and Ocracoke islands this summer won’t be ready after all.
The catamaran-style ferry was expected to begin making runs between the two islands in mid-July. But the company building the ferry, US Workboats in Hubert, near Swansboro, has had trouble finding enough workers in specialized trades, especially certified marine welders, and has fallen behind schedule, said Tim Hass, spokesman for the Ferry Division of the N.C. Department of Transportation.
The M/V Ocracoke Express is now expected to be finished in September. After sea trials and other tests, the ferry should be ready to begin carrying passengers between Hatteras and the ferry terminal at Silver Lake in Ocracoke village by the end of the year, Hass said.”
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