BRIDGEPORT – The Hornblower Group, which already owns Hornblower Marine at Bridgeport Boatworks, has been chosen to head up high-speed ferry service in Bridgeport Harbor, Mayor Joe Ganim announced last week at his annual State of the City address.
“I am pleased to announce that the Bridgeport Port Authority is more than halfway towards completion of a high-speed ferry terminal,” Ganim said. “The (Bridgeport) Port Authority recently awarded high-speed operations to Hornblower Group – a national leader in this space – to bring high-speed ferry service from Bridgeport to Manhattan.
“It’s a great (thing) for the harbor and a complement to the many forms of mass transit that we have in this city.”
The high-speed ferry will give the city yet another transportation option near the harbor. In addition to Metro-North rail service to and from New York City and New Haven, there is a bus station and ferry service to and from Port Jefferson, New York.
In a 2023 opinion piece by CT Mirror columnist Jim Cameron, a longtime commuter advocate, wrote that the $11.2 million dock is being paid for with $10.5 million federal money and $700,000 kicked in by the local Bridgeport Port Authority.
Hornblower Marine, which operates a shipyard where it provides boat construction services, has been a part of the harbor’s development since 2021, when the developer of Steelpointe Harbor developer RCI group announced it was coming to the harbor.
Bridgeport’s East Side peninsula and the East End of the harbor leading to Pleasure Beach had for years been significant sites for industry and neighborhood jobs for those who lived there, according to RCI Group. And it was the city’s vision and past history that helped attract RCI Marine, a prominent marina and waterfront developer.
Hornblower Group dates back 100 years with a portfolio of international offerings includes water-based dining and sightseeing cruises, walking and food tours, and ferry and transportation services. City Experiences, Hornblower Group’s premier experience division, offers land- and water-based experiences as well as ferry and transportation services.
