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Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry having new vessel built

ONAWAY, MI (AP)--   Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry is having another vessel constructed to take passengers to and from one of Michigan's top tourist destinations.

The company says the $4 million ferry is being built by Moran Iron Works of Onaway. It's scheduled to start operating in summer 2020.

The 210-passenger boat will be wheelchair accessible and have an aft deck for luggage, bikes and strollers. Instead of propellers, the vessel will have four jet drives intended to provide a quieter, smoother and faster trip.

Moran Iron Works previously built another ferry for Shepler's, the 281-seat Miss Margy, which was launched in 2015.

The new ferry will be assembled over the next several months and taken by trailer to a deep-water port in Rogers City, then sailed to Shepler's facility in Mackinaw City.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.