A second new ferry arrived in Port Aransas today.
The Michael W. Behrens steamed up to the ferry docks on Mustang Island about noon after a voyage from the Houston area shipyard where it was constructed.
The fleet’s other new ferry, the Charles W. Heald, arrived in Port Aransas April 23. Neither ferry has gone into service yet. Crews will be receiving training on the vessels for some days yet. The ferries are scheduled to start transporting vehicles back and forth across the Corpus Christi Ship Channel on July 1.
The ferries will be dedicated in a ceremony on Friday, June 24. The ceremony will be at 10 a.m. under a tent to be set up at ramps one and two on the Mustang Island side of the ferry landings. Parking will be available at the nearby Dennis Dreyer Municipal Marina, on Port Street and at the Civic Center. The public is invited.
A reception will be held at the Community Center at 11:30 a.m.
When the new ferries go into service, the Port Aransas fleet will be expanded to eight vessels. The new ferries, which cost $6.4 million each, are bigger than the rest. While the old ferries have capacities of 20 vehicles, the new ones will carry 28.