Beaver Island Boat Company

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America's Emerald Isle

Emerald Isle Update

August 22 – Due to a mechanical issue, the Emerald Isle is temporarily out of service. The Beaver Islander will be in  service and our schedule has changed for Friday August 23 and Saturday August 24, please refer to our Schedule page on the website. The schedule may change for future dates, so please keep checking our facebook and website for updates.  If you have a reservation on either of these days and have not been contacted by a BIBCO employee, please call our office at 888-446-4095.

July 28 – Note from Beaver Island Boat Company Board of Directors:

To all our Beaver Island Boat Company customers:

We want to thank you all so much for your understanding, co-operation and patience over the past several weeks.  You helped make a very difficult situation more tolerable and allowed us to concentrate on rectifying it in a more timely fashion for which we are very grateful.  We also appreciate all the notes and kind words to our staff and crew.  They needed and deserved your support and greatly appreciated it. Thank you friends of Beaver Island!!

Beaver Island Boat Company Board of Directors

July 17 – We are happy to announce that the Emerald Isle will return to service tomorrow, July 18th  Departing Charlevoix for Beaver Island @ 8:30 a.m.
 We will also begin contacting all those who were put on a list for reservations starting July 18 in the order of the received call. If you call for a reservation you may still be put on a list until we get through all those who have contacted us prior. We appreciate your patience and consideration as we work our way back to our normal operations.

July 13 – A Note from the Beaver Island Boat Company President

These last few weeks have been a challenging time for the traveling public as well as everyone here at the Boat Company.  The MV Emerald Isle’s port engine has been rebuilt and has arrived safely back on the island (transported by St. James Marine).

The reinstallation of the engine began on Thursday night and is a good sign that the MV Emerald Isle will be back into operation soon.  There is still however, a great deal of work and coordination that has to take place, prior to completion.  Caterpillar engine mechanics, Beaver Island Boat Company crew and various contractors are working around the clock to ensure we are up and running as soon as possible.  Once the work is complete, a final safety and mechanical inspection must be conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard. A specific date of completion cannot be determined, but we are hopeful for the end of this upcoming week.

I want to express my sincere appreciation for everyone’s cooperation during this difficult time.  Beaver Island Boat Company employees have all done an amazing job of giving their best under these challenging circumstances.  Additionally, our customers have certainly worked together with us and have remained patient and flexible during the many trip/scheduling changes.

Thank you to all the Beaver Island residents, island businesses, visitors and to our many dedicated employees.  Beaver Island has surely proved to be a wonderful supportive community.

Sincerely,

Margo Marks

July 11, 2013 – News Update

July 2, 2013Update from Beaver Island Transportation Authority

July 1, 2013 – Update of Emerald Isle

1. Please refer to BIBCO’s website to check for boat schedule updates/time changes and other necessary travel information.  Please verify all departure times.

 

 2. The starboard engine will be checked due to the failure of the port engine.  Michigan Cat will be on site in the near future to do this.

 

 3. If there are any capacity issues for this coming weekend customers will be accommodated.  Beaver Island is open for business and welcomes visitors.

 

 4. No timeframe as of yet to when this work will be completed.  Michigan Cat is working around the clock to repair the port engine.  Coast Guard approval inspection will be coordinated during this process.  A Coast Guard Inspector has been assigned to our project to monitor the repair process.

 

June 28, 2013 – Press Release

Beaver Island, MI  – The Beaver Island Boat Company’s (BIBCO) ferry, Emerald Isle, experienced an engine malfunction on its 5:20pm departure from Beaver Island to Charlevoix on June 25, 2013. It returned to the Island that evening under its own power. Their secondary vessel, the Beaver Islander, was used to transfer passengers and all vehicles that could fit on the vessel to Charlevoix.

 

The current assessment done by our BIBCO engineers, CAT engineers and the USCG is that the Emerald Isle experienced a main engine parts failure.  The engine is being removed in order to make the necessary repairs. No completion date can be given at this time.

 

While BIBCO’s main ferry the Emerald Isle is being repaired, they will be utilizing their secondary vessel the Beaver Islander. Due to the Beaver Islander’s reduced capacity, BIBCO has had to change their scheduled departure times as well as move some vehicle reservations in order to ensure the least amount of people are affected by the service interruption of the Emerald Isle.

 

BIBCO has currently made changes to their schedule up to Sunday June 30 and will continue to update the schedule on a day-by-day basis. Please continue to check their website for the most up-to-date information.  We are experiencing heavy call volumes, please check the website prior to calling the office for updates.

 

BIBCO is asking that passengers, especially with vehicle reservations, please take note of the Beaver Islander’s vehicle restrictions. The main height of the vessel’s cargo area is 6 feet 4 inches. BIBCO is asking that vehicles try to avoid traveling with car top carriers and other items on top of your vehicle. Also, if you have a vehicle above 6’4” in height, please try to bring a smaller vehicle if you are able to do so, as it will be difficult for them to guarantee passage of vehicles taller than 6’4”. Trailers will be taken on a case-by-case basis and may need to be unloaded as water levels make it very difficult to load and unload trailers.

 

A partnership with St. James Marine’s barge is in place, and BIBCO will be sending some vehicles to and from the island on the barge. Currently, the barge is scheduled to depart tomorrow, June 29, at 8 AM from Beaver Island and again at 5 PM from Charlevoix. The travel time of the barge is approximately 4 hours and they cannot take passengers.

 

All of the BIBCO staff and crew would like to thank you for your patience and understanding during this challenging time.  We fully understand the inconvenience this may cause to you and your travel plans. Our main priority is the safety of our passengers and vessels and we will continue to work as diligently as we can to return to our normal operations as soon as we are able.