Ferry

A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and sometimes their vehicles, on scheduled services.

Types of ferries

Ferry designs depend on the length of the route, the passenger or vehicle capacity required, speed requirements and the water conditions the craft must deal with.

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Hydrofoil

Hydrofoils have the advantage of higher cruising speeds, succeeding hovercraft on the some English Channel routes, where the ferries now compete against the Eurotunnel and Eurostar trains that use the Channel Tunnel. Hydrofoils also proved a practical, fast and relatively economical solution in the Canary Islands - their replacement by high-speed car ferries is seen by critics as a retrograde step given that the new vessels use much more fuel and foster the inappropriate use of cars 1 in islands already suffering from the impact of mass tourism.

Related Topics:
Hydrofoil - Hovercraft - Eurostar - Channel Tunnel

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Catamaran

Catamarans are normally associated with high-speed ferry services. Stena Line operates the largest catamarans in the world, the Stena HSS class, between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. These waterjet powered vessels, displacing 19,638 tonnes, are larger than most catamarans and can accommodate 375 passenger cars and 1,500 passengers.

Related Topics:
Stena Line - Stena HSS - Waterjet

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Ro-ro

Roll on-roll off ferries (RORO) are large, conventional ferries named for the ease by which vehicles can board and leave.

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Cable ferry

Very short distances may be operated by a cable ferry, where the ferry is propelled and steered by cables connected to each shore. Sometimes the cable ferry is human powered by someone on the boat. Reaction ferries are cable ferries that use the perpendicular force of the current as a source of power. Chain ferries may be used in fast-flowing rivers across short distances.

Related Topics:
Reaction ferries - Chain ferries

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Free ferries operate in some parts of the world, such as at Woolwich in London, England (across the River Thames), in Amsterdam, Netherlands (across the IJ waterway), and in New York Harbor, connecting Manhattan to Staten Island.

Related Topics:
Woolwich - London - England - River Thames - Amsterdam - Netherlands - IJ - New York Harbor - Manhattan - Staten Island

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Docking

Ferry boats often dock at specialized facilities designed to position the boat for loading and unloading, called a ferry slip. If the ferry transports road vehicles or railcars there will usually be an adjustable ramp called an apron that is part of the slip. In other cases, the apron ramp will be a part of the ferry itself, acting as a wave guard when elevated and lowered to meet a fixed ramp at the terminus - a road segment that extends partially underwater.

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