Home > Ferry

Ferries form an important part of the public transport systems of many waterside cities, allowing direct transit between points at a capital cost much lower than bridges or tunnels.

A foot-passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, is called a waterbus or water taxi.

Longer-run ferries connect many coastal islands with the mainland. Perhaps the most notable ferry route of this sort is the one across the English Channel connecting Great Britain with the rest of Europe (mainly through the French ports, such as Calais, Cherbourg, Le Havre), but there are many others. Large ferries also sail in Baltic Sea between Finland and Sweden. In many ways, these are like cruise ships, but they can also carry hundreds of cars in their car decks. In Britain car-carrying ferries are sometimes refered to as RO-RO - "roll-on, roll-off" - for the ease by which vehicles can board and leave. These RO-RO designs have certain compromises which impair their seaworthiness.

In Australia, three Spirit of TasmaniaSpirit of Tasmania has been part of the name of four different ships that have served as tourist passenger/vehicle ferries on Bass Strait, between Tasmania and the Australian mainland. The ships have all been owned and operated by the Tasmanian Government ferries carry passengers and vehicles 300km across Bass StraitBass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland ( Victoria in particular). It was discovered by Europeans in 1798 by Matthew Flinders and named after explorer George Bass. Approximately 240 km wide at its narrowes, which separates TasmaniaTasmania State flag ( In detail) Coat of Arms ( Full size) Capital Hobart Governor William Cox (Acting Governor) Premier Paul Lennon Area — Land — Marine — Total 68 401 km² 22 357 km² 90 758 km² Population(Sep 2003) Density 478 400 6. 92/km² Time zone UTC from the Australian mainlandMainland is a product name belonging to Fonterra. Mainland is usually the continental part of a region, as opposed to the islands nearby. Sometimes the residents are called "the Mainlanders". As a result of the usually larger area of mainland, there are s. These run overnight but also include additional day crossings in peak time. All three ferries are based in the northern Tasmanian port city of DevonportDevonport is a city in the north-west of Tasmania, Australia, at the mouth of the Mersey River. It, along with the slightly smaller city of Burnie, are the major regional centres of the north-west of the state. To visitors to Tasmania, it is primarily kno; two ferries travel the route to MelbourneAlternate meanings: Melbourne (disambiguation Melbourne is the capital and largest city of the state of Victoria, and the second largest city in Australia, with a population of 3,366,542 (census 2001). The city's name is pronounced "MEL-buhn" ( SAMPA: ["m, Victoria, and the third to SydneyThis is about the city of Sydney in Australia. For other meanings, see Sydney (disambiguation), or Sidney. Sydney Opera House Sydney is the capital city of the Australian state of New South Wales and Australia's largest and oldest city, founded in 1788., New South Wales.

In Hong Kong, Star Ferry and First Ferry.

A large variety of watercraft designs have been used as ferries, depending on the length of the route, the passenger or vehicle capacity required, speed requirements and the water conditions the craft must deal with. Hydrofoils have been used with advantages of higher cruising speeds on popular ferry routes, succeeding hovercraft on the route mentioned above where the ferries now compete against the Le Shuttle and Eurostar trains that use the Channel Tunnel. 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. Some cable ferries use the perpendicular force of the current as a source of power. Chain ferries may be used in fast-flowing rivers across short distances.

Free ferries operate in some parts of the world, such as at Woolwich in London, England (across the River Thames) and in Amsterdam, Netherlands (across the IJ waterway).

Ferry boats often dock at specialized facilities designed to accurately and quickly 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.

On October 11, 1811 inventor John Stevens' ship the Juliana, began operation as the first steam-powered ferry (service was between New York, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey).

Reputedly, the world's shortest regular ferry route runs 121 metres across a shipping channel, connecting Toronto City Centre Airport to the mainland.

Two of the world's largest ferry systems are located in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada, and Puget Sound, Washington, United States of America. Each system contains at least 25 ferries, but the two have different styles and operating procedures.