Two new vessels are taking shape at the Blount shipyard on Water Street and are bound for up and downstate New York, where they’ll be put into hard service.

The first, Breaker II, is a 56-foot ice breaking tug that when complete in May 2020 will see service in the Niagara Falls area. It will be used to push a boom across the Niagara River, breaking ice as it goes and keeping hydroelectric power equipment safe.

Like the Breaker II, a ferry also taking shape at Blount is steel-hulled. But it will see more leisurely duty, ferrying passengers in the Shelter Island area between Connecticut and Long Island, NY.

While those projects are going on, workers at Blount’s six-acre yard are making a host of new improvements to the property. A concrete pad was just installed south of the yard’s boat lift, and other areas have been reinforced. In addition, several areas are being cleared to make more usable space and drainage issues around the yard are being worked on.