LEWES, Del.- After several months of work, one of the Cape May-Lewes' oldest ferries has returned from repairs.
The M/V Delaware was sent away to Staten Island, NY for routine maintenance nearly five months ago. A spokesperson for the ferry says the vessel now has new sprinklers and paint, along with repaired steel where needed. Work like this is done routinely after a few years. The cost for the repairs is estimated to be $7.7 million dollars.
The work was scheduled during the off-season to not cause any delays.
The ferry will need to be inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard before returning to its regular job. That work is expected to be done late next week.
Officials with the ferry say the M/V Delaware is the oldest vessel of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry fleet at 49 years old. The vessel was the first of the “Modern” ferries designed and built for the Cape May-Lewes route and the challenges associated with the shallow water of Delaware Bay, pressed into service in the spring of 1974.