Duck boats returning to Philadelphia, but on the Schuylkill

Ride the Ducks International, the company whose boat was hit by a barge in a July 7 accident that killed two people on the Delaware River, said Friday that it planned to resume Philadelphia operations in March on the Schuylkill.

The company had been considering a move to the Schuylkill even before the accident so passengers could see the city's cultural institutions and biking and running path.

"We think it offers a great view of the city and great view of the Museum of Art, but it also allows visitors and locals the chance to see the Water Works in addition to the city skyline," said Bob Salmon, Ride the Ducks vice president of marketing and sales.

He said traffic on the busy Delaware River "was not a consideration" in deciding to shift operations to the Schuylkill.

In August, the Coast Guard approved Ride the Ducks' plan to return to the Delaware, but the company has not resumed operations there and instead decided to try the other river in the spring.

Ride the Ducks still has a lot of work to do to get its boats on the Schuylkill. It must build and pay for a ramp into the water and deal with the city's permitting process for the construction. Coast Guard approval of the plans would also be needed, though the agency said it expected to grant it.

The company has not determined an exact route, but it would include Old City, City Hall, and the museums along the Parkway, including the new Barnes Foundation museum. Ride the Ducks also has not determined where the amphibious vehicles would enter and exit the Schuylkill, but it will be near the Spring Garden bridge, Salmon said.

The duck boats will remain below the Fairmount Dam fish ladder and so will not conflict with rowers, who stay above it, Salmon said.

On July 7, a K-Sea Transportation Partners tug pushing a barge owned by the city crashed into a duck boat, killing Hungarian tourists Szabolcs Prem, 20, and Dora Schwendtner, 16.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Coast Guard are still investigating the crash. The duck boat had stopped on the Delaware after its captain, Gary Fox, saw smoke coming from the engine. Fox radioed for help and issued warnings over marine channels saying he had no power and asked the tug to change course.

The tug's first mate was at the helm. He has refused to be interviewed by the NTSB.

Philadelphia lawyer Robert Mongeluzzi has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the families of Prem and Schwendtner against K-Sea, the city, and Ride the Ducks. On Friday, he said that simply switching to a less busy river would not prevent accidents. He said he believed the boats' canopies trap people when the vessels sink.

"Unless they change the design and remove the canopies, which are death cages, they remain unsafe and shouldn't be allowed back on the water," Mongeluzzi said.

Salmon called such allegations "strictly speculation" and added, "We were run over by a barge that didn't respond to emergency calls."

The Coast Guard is reviewing the company's Schuylkill plan, Cmdr. Jonathan Maiorine said.

"We're evaluating the proposal. It looks like a great area to operate. We're not anticipating any problems with approving it," Maiorine said.

The City of Philadelphia said it was too early to say what permits Ride the Ducks would need to resume business.

Ride the Ducks will operate from March through November, as it did previously.

The city asked the company to conduct a safety review. That review resulted in changes, including adding an air horn - powered by air cannisters - closer to the duck-boat captains. During the July accident, the captain was not able to sound his air horn because it relied on the vehicle's electrical system, which was off.

The company is still paying its Philadelphia staff, Salmon said, though only about 10 people work in fall and winter, compared with about 60 in spring and summer.

Philadelphia Managing Director Richard Negrin said city officials, including Mayor Nutter, and representatives from the Coast Guard and Ride the Ducks had worked together to bring the vehicles back.

The busy commercial shipping lanes on the Delaware were only one consideration, Negrin said.

"We really see this as an opportunity to avoid problems on the very commercial Delaware," Negrin said. "Do I think we could have done the Delaware safely? The answer to that is yes. This is really a matter of preference. I happen to think that this is what's best for the city overall. I also think the Schuylkill is a more attractive, better option from the business aspect. It's more picturesque."