Eastern Shipbuilding Group has started construction on Washington State Ferries’ new generation of hybrid-electric ferries, with Washington state confirming it will exercise its option for a third vessel under the $714.5 million shipbuilding program. Officials from Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) and Washington State Ferries (WSF) marked the milestone with a steel-cutting ceremony at the shipbuilder’s facilities in Panama City, Florida. “This is the first time in a decade that Washington state is building ferries,” Sowers said. “Eastern Shipbuilding Group is proud to begin construction on these vessels and to partner with Washington State Ferries on one of the most important ferry modernization programs in the country,” said Joey D’Isernia, CEO of Eastern Shipbuilding Group. “These new hybrid-electric ferries will help us restore the reliability and resilience our customers depend on while building a cleaner, more modern fleet for the future.”