By Sunayana Prabhu
BELFORD – Commuters traveling to New York City from Belford have a new ride: Seastreak recently launched Millennium, a 121-foot, high-speed catamaran, to ferry residents daily from the Monmouth County port to the West Side of New York City.
Seastreak now operates 10 high-speed vessels out of the three ports in Monmouth County. The fleet is made up of three 149-passenger, four 505-passenger, and two 600-passenger vessels. Millennium, previously operated by Rhode Island Fast Ferry, is the newest addition, built to hold a little over 400 passengers and added to “fill the gap,” as per the company’s statement Aug. 4, “between the 149-passenger and 500-passenger vessels” already in the fleet.
Late last year NY Waterway – which had operated commuter service from Belford to Manhattan and Jersey City for the last 20 years – lost the contract for ferry service from the Belford terminal to Seastreak, when, in a surprise ruling, the Monmouth County Board of Commissioners disqualified NY Waterway’s application for failure to produce a “consent of surety” in its bid proposal. At the time, NY Waterway CEO and president Armand Pohan said the county was “depriving your residents of a choice” and accusing it of bias in allowing Seastreak to gain a monopoly over the three port terminals in Monmouth County in Atlantic Highlands, Highlands and Belford.
Seastreak began operating ferry service from the Belford terminal in December 2022 with an initial one-way price increase of $2.50 for those 13 and older – from $21.50 to $24. That fee schedule is still in place, according to the company’s website. One-way tickets from Atlantic Highlands and Highlands cost $28. Seastreak departs Belford eight times throughout the day, five in the morning and three more in the late afternoon and early evening.
Millennium’s launch coincided with a 6% hike in toll prices announced by the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority), making it more expensive for many Manhattan-bound New Jersey commuters to drive into the city which could mean more riders for Seastreak.
“We expect to see a slight bump” in commuters due to the toll hikes, said James Barker, vice president of sales and marketing for Seastreak, noting the ferry service offers free parking at its ports and is “not increasing fares at this time.”
Millennium is designed by Incat and constructed by Somerset, Massachusetts-based designers and shipbuilders Gladding Hearn Shipbuilding. The same team also constructed two existing Seastreak ferries – M/V Seastreak – NJ/NY/Highlands and the M/V Seastreak – Nantucket Express.
Despite having a slightly lower passenger capacity than these boats, Millennium is designed to operate at comparable fast speeds.
Acquired in April this year, Millennium has been at North River shipyard “undergoing an extensive refit,” according to the statement. To ensure the reliability of the vessel, its jet propulsion system was recently refurbished and the bow was structurally converted to allow for front loading at docks in New Jersey and New York City. Additionally, a new HVAC system was installed inside the cabins to improve comfort onboard. Aesthetic improvements such as a new paint job and interior carpet replacements were made before the launch. The vessel also features two bars – one on each deck. Brand new seats are expected to be installed in the coming months.
“The addition of the Millennium will also give Seastreak a ‘backup’ vessel in New Jersey that can be quickly activated to avoid future service disruptions,” the company said.
Besides daily commutes, this week Seastreak is putting together fall cruise packages, including to new destination Milton, New York, north of Cold Spring, on the west side of the Hudson River. The trip will offer the opportunity to explore breweries and vineyards, and participate in apple picking, hayrides and other fall activities.
Milton is a new addition to Seastreak’s narrated fall day cruises which include a brunch cruise up the Hudson River through New York Harbor, and other fall foliage cruises.
Cruises run from the last week of September through mid-November.
“We’ve been running these trips for more than five years,” Barker said, encouraging people to book tickets early because “peak weekends do sell out.” The “most popular” so far, he said, is “the town of Cold Spring in New York, which is a great little town. There are shops, restaurants, antiquing, and then the people get the fall foliage tour as well so they see all of the fall leaves and colors from the Hudson River.”
The article originally appeared in the September 7 – 13, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
