Ralph Duncan, P.E., vice president of marine engineering, with Bremerton’s Art Anderson Associates, has been selected to serve on the Transportation Research Board’s Committee on Ferry Transportation.

Duncan is an active member of the Passenger Vessel Association, American Planning Association, and International Marine Transit Association-Interferry. His background in water transportation system planning includes route analysis, ferry design and acquisition, operations analysis, environmental considerations, and terminal facilities.

As a member of the committee, Duncan will be involved in the discussion of numerous ferry transportation topics such as:

• Fast Ferry Operations: Current or proposed applications of fast ferries.
• Recent experiences and lessons learned from both passenger and vehicle fast ferry operations.
• Integrating Ferries with the National Transportation System: Role of ferries and inclusion of ferries in transportation models and simulations employed by transportation planners in doing studies.
• Environmental Impacts of Ferry Transportation: Effects of ferries on their environment, including wake and wash impacts on the shoreline and on other marine activities, pollution; as well as terminal traffic.
• Alternative Fuels in Ferries: Vessels in service or planned that would use alternative fuels (e.g. CNG, LNG or hydrogen) or new propulsion system types (e.g. fuel cells or diesel-electric hybrids).
• Security Issues Surrounding Ferry Transportation: developments in ferry security issues since 9/11.