Locals who enjoyed the comfort of the first new fast ferry can now look forward to riding the newest addition, as the Minister of Transport Dr. Ewart Brown yesterday received the keys to the second fast ferry, Resolute.

The Minister was joined by Peter Duclos, president of the Gladding-Hearn shipyard, as well as members of his department. The hand over took place at the Department of Marine and Ports on East Broadway.

"This marks another historic occasion when the Government officially takes delivery of the second catamaran ferry," said Dr. Brown. "As you can see she's quite a craft."

The $2.5 million ferry will join its sister ship Serenity on daily commutes to the West End. Dr. Brown said that a total of eight trips between Hamilton and the West End will now be carried out by the two vessels. Each ferry has a seating capacity of 205.

"We are very happy to have Resolute join Serenity. We believe that the ferry service is going to continue to grow," he added.

Dr. Brown said the results of an onboard survey of passengers on Serenity by passengers showed their approval of the new ferries.

According to the survey, Dr. Brown said that 90 percent of respondents gave Serenity a very good rating for its comfortable ride. Eighty-three percent of passengers said they liked the new Rockaway facility in Southampton.

"What's most exciting for us was the statistic which said that 61 percent of the passengers on Serenity had never used the ferry service before," said Dr. Brown. "The slight decrease in traffic congestion in the morning by Bermudians from the West End is a reflection of that statistic."

He also gave credit to locals for taking advantage of the new ferries.

"Thank you Bermuda for having confidence in Serenity, now you can have confidence in Resolute."

Dr. Brown will officially christen the boat next Tuesday. The official opening of the new ferry dock in Dockyard will also open next Tuesday.