The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) celebrated the upcoming addition of its brand new catamaran ferry, the Champion, with a boat christening ceremony in front of a crowd of officials and media gathered on the dock on a bright sunny fall morning, last week.
Built by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, the Champion is a high-speed catamaran ferry with a 150-passenger capacity, supporting the MBTA’s commuter boat service between the communities of Hull, Hingham, and Logan Airport in East Boston and Long Wharf in Boston. In addition to improving service reliability, the procurement of the Champion allows the MBTA to rely on its own vessels while also providing a spare ferry when MBTA-owned boats are periodically taken out of service for maintenance and Coast Guard inspections.
The Champion features energy-efficient LED lighting, carpeted interior decks, tables and seating to accommodate 110 passengers, a concession stand, and luggage racks. The boat is fully accessible and offers areas for wheelchairs to be secured and companion seats, including on the open back deck of the boat. It also features an induction loop system so announcements can be transmitted directly to hearing aids with greatly reduced background noise.
In addition to providing the onboard Passenger Wi-Fi, Icomera worked with solution partner GeoSignage to integrate with the MBTA API for timetable information and uses geofencing technologies to trigger on-board visual and audio announcements when approaching, arriving and departing stops.
