Great Lakes Shipyard to stretch ferry

Great Lakes Shipyard, a division of The Great Lakes Group, has been awarded a contract by Miller Boat Line, Put-in-Bay, Ohio, to fabricate and install a new 40 foot mid-body extension in the passenger/vehicle ferry Put-in-Bay.

The contract was awarded on August 17, 2009, and all work is underway at Great Lakes Shipyard's facilities on the South Bank of the Old River Channel, on Cleveland's Cuyahoga River. The project is slated for completion by year end.

Miller Boat Line operates a fleet of four all-steel passenger/vehicle ferries, each approximately 96-feet in length, which run on Lake Erie from Catawba to the islands of Put-in-Bay (South Bass Island) and Middle Bass Island, Ohio.

The mid-body extension of the Put-in-Bay will make the vessel 136-feet overall in length and will enable it to carry up to eight additional full size automobiles or an additional 100 passengers. The project also includes the installation of new rudders, a new steering system, and a new main engine keel cooling system.