MV Finest

MV Finest is an aluminum-hulled^[6] catamaran fast passenger ferry built at Derecktor Shipyards in 1997 for New York Fast Ferry Services. She is owned and operated by Kitsap Transit on a Seattle–Kingston route since 2018. Finest is a former NY Waterway vessel and at one point provided service from the Massachusetts mainland to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.^[7]

MV Finest

MV Finest pierside in Kingston, Washington
History
Owner	Port Imperial Ferry Corp.
Route	Manhattan–Port Imperial, New Jersey
Builder	Derecktor Shipyards
Completed	1996
Identification	MMSI 366990580, IMO number: 9132076
Owner	Kitsap Transit
Port of registry	Bremerton, Washington, United States
Route	Seattle–Port of Kingston, Kitsap County
Acquired	October 2018
Refit	March–October 2018, Nichols Brothers shipyard, Whidbey Island, $5 million
Status	Started commuter service November 26, 2018
General characteristics
Type	Catamaran high-speed craft (fast ferry)
Tonnage	408 GT[1]
Length	38 m (124 ft 8 in)[1]
Beam	10 m (32 ft 10 in)[1]
Height	6 m (19 ft 8 in)
Draft	3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Installed power	2 × MTU 16V398 TE74 L marine diesel engines,[2]: 4–1  4,000 kW (5,400 hp) total[3]
Propulsion	Water jet drive[2]: 1–3
Speed	35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)[4]
Capacity	350 passengers[5] and 16 bicycles
Notes	Vessel data via US Coast Guard Vessel Information Service unless noted

9/11 maritime evacuation

MV Finest on the Hudson in 2013

While in service in New York Harbor for New York Fast Ferry Services, Finest participated in the maritime evacuation of Lower Manhattan after the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks.^[5][8] According to her captain, she was the second vessel to arrive at Manhattan to transfer injured people off the island.^[9]

Puget Sound service

After her purchase by Kitsap Transit, she was moved through the Panama Canal in February 2018, on the back of another vessel, then overhauled in Washington State for more than $7.5 million.^[5][4]

In early November 2018, Kitsap Transit announced that Finest would begin Kitsap Fast Ferries passenger service on November 26 that year.^[10] The state governor visited the ship and terminal at Kingston while attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 19 in advance of scheduled service.^[11][12]