Blount Boats of Warren, R.I., is using steel plate processed by the Denman & Davis steel service center company based in Clifton, N.J., to construct the hulls of two ferries, one destined for use off the east coast of Puerto Rico and the other in Long Island Sound, New York. Denman & Davis also is providing the cutting, etching and flanging for steel plate used in the ferries' construction.

The first vessel, a 162-foot ferry for the Puerto Rico Transit Authority, requires 260 tons of steel plate. Once built, the ferry will hold up to 300 people in a two-deck passenger area. It will carry up to 300 tons of cargo, including up to 22 cars in an 86-foot by 40-foot holding area. The ferry is slated for completion in June 2008 and will shuttle passengers between the Puerto Rican mainland cities of Fajardo and Vieques and the island city of Culebra.

A 100-foot, double-ended ferry destined for Shelter Island, N.Y., will use 142 short tons of steel plate. It will hold up to 18 vehicles in its deck area that will measure 37 feet by 100 feet, with a capacity of about 20 passengers in its small cabin. Luther Blount, project engineer at Blount Boats, estimates the ferry will be fully constructed by August 2008. Once in service, it will carry passengers from Shelter Island to North Haven, N.Y.