PORTLAND, Maine — This summer, there was supposed to be a new, eco-friendly ferry in Casco Bay. However, the passenger ship, which's been six years in the works, is months behind schedule, according to Casco Bay Lines.
Once it's finished, the Battery Steele will run mostly on battery power. Eventually, it will replace the diesel ferry carrying passengers between mainland Portland and Peaks Island.
"It will clearly have an impact on our environment," the ferry service's interim general manager Nick Mavodones said. "It will prevent up to 800 metric tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the environment."
Mavodones said the ferry's arrival has been delayed because of the batteries.
"We had a company called [Spear Power Systems] we did research on with our naval architects," he added. "They were a good fit for us. They notified us last summer they were getting out of the marine battery business."
He said Casco Bay Lines is now working with a new company that makes a battery the ferry wasn’t compatible with.
"There was additional engineering that had to be done," Mavodones told NEWS CENTER Maine.
All of this has pushed the ferry’s arrival date from this summer to December. It's expected to begin service five to six weeks after so crews can learn how to operate it.