ferries – Pacific Maritime Magazine

08 Oct

Kitsap Transit Nets $1.2 million for Electric Ferry Design, Demo

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsbiekerboats, ferries, glosten, kitsaptransit

Seattle-based Kitsap Transit is anticipated to receive $1.2 million toward the design of an electric-powered fast ferry demonstration and shoreside charging infrastructure, it was announced Sept. 18. The grant adds to the $4 million Washington state Legislature grant that is expected to fund the design of the demo ferry, envisioned by Kitsap Transit as “a scaled-down version” of the Glosten and Bieker Boats-designed 150-passenger foil vessel. The vessel demonstration seeks to show the technology’s viability, which if successful could pave the way for the first all-electric hydrofoil fast ferry to be in service on Puget Sound, according to the transit…

01 Oct

San Francisco Bay Ferry Nets $11 Million for Fast Electric Ferries

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsferries, reefprogram, sfbayferry

Efforts by the San Francisco Bay Ferry transit service to purchase three high-speed battery ferries are moving forward with the help of an $11 million Federal Transit Administration grant, it was announced Sept. 16. The grant is expected to fund SF Bay Ferry’s trio of 150-passenger battery-powered ferries that would serve Treasure Island, Mission Bay, Downtown San Francisco and other San Francisco waterfront communities. “San Francisco’s waterfront is thriving, and this award will make sure that they are connected and accessible using state-of-the-art zero-emission congestion-reducing ferries,” SF Bay Ferry Board of Directors Chair Jim Wunderman said. So far, the ferry…

24 Sep

Kitsap Transit Secures $13.5 Million for New Fast Ferry

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsferries, fta, kitsaptransit

Kitsap Transit may soon be able to replace an aging ferry operating its Kingston-Seattle route with the help of federal funding. The Washington-based transportation organization is expected to receive $13.5 million from the Federal Transit Administration’s Passenger Ferry Grant program toward the purchase of a new fast ferry, covering almost 80% of the $17.5 million project, it was announced Sept. 11. Kitsap Transit would underwrite about $4 million of the project. “This funding allows us to buy a new boat to operate a route that has been running with a backup vessel – m/v Finest – that is older and…

24 Sep

WSF’s Wenatchee Ferry Set to Return This Summer

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsferries, vigor, wsf

Washington State Ferries’ vessel Wenatchee, which is in the midst of a major propulsion system and hybrid-electric power upgrade at Vigor shipyard, is expected to return to service in the summer of 2025, WSF announced Sept. 19. Vigor has been working on the vessel since WSF awarded the company a contract in September 2023 to upgrade the agency’s Jumbo Mark II class ferries with hybrid-electric power capabilities and finish needed propulsion system upgrades on the 1998-built Wenatchee, the 1997-built Tacoma and the 1999-built Puyallup. “There are no issues with the technology itself, but as is common with major vessel retrofits,…

06 Aug

Kitsap Transit to Run 2 Routes Without Spare Vessels

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsferries, kitsaptransit

Seattle area public transit agency Kitsap Transit said July 30 that it has pulled two vessels for service, leaving the fast-ferry service on the Kingston/Seattle and Southworth/Seattle routes without spare vessels. The agency told passengers to anticipate canceled sailings in the event that the M/V Finest and M/V Solano need to be serviced. “We realize this isn't good news, but safety has to be our first priority,” Kitsap Transit Executive Director John Clauson said. “We want to give our customers the information they need to plan their travel accordingly.” The M/V Enetai and M/V Commander are both out of service…

09 Apr

SF Bay Ferry, Partners Commission Latest Vessel

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsauroramarinedesign, ferries, mavrikmarine, sfbayferry

San Francisco Bay Ferry on March 25 welcomed its newest high-speed ferry to its fleet, the m/v Delphinus, which is expected to serve commuters on its busiest route. The ferry is set to operate on the Vallejo route, which carried more than 700,000 passengers over the past year, according to SF Bay Ferry. The Northern California agency reported 2.3 million passengers throughout its system last year. Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) said the new ferry “exemplifies our commitment to meeting passenger needs, with design modifications based on valuable feedback.” “As the Vallejo route continues to lead in ridership within our…

26 Mar

San Francisco Bay Ferry Nets $3M for Vallejo Ferry Terminal Reconfiguration

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsferries, sfbay

The Vallejo Ferry Terminal Reconfiguration Project has received a boost in federal funding. San Francisco Bay Ferry on March 12 announced that it has secured $3 million for the project as part of the newly signed federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024. The $16 million project, which could start construction as early as 2025, calls for moving the ferry dock further into the Napa River at the same location downtown. When completed, it would enhance “service reliability, operational efficiency, climate change resilience and the rider experience by redesigning and rebuilding a key terminal on SF Bay Ferry’s most popular route,”…

16 Jan

Kitsap Transit Sees 33% Annual Increase in Ferry Ridership

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsferries, kitsaptransit

More than 1 million passengers rode Kitsap Transit ferries in 2023, a 33% increase from the previous year, the transit agency announced Jan. 5. The gains in ridership stemmed from its three “cross-sound fast ferry routes” to and from the Kitsap Peninsula and downtown Seattle, with the Bremerton/Seattle route showing a 54% jump from 2022, Kitsap said. The Kingston/Seattle route showed a 37% spike in ridership, while ridership rose by 49% on the Southworth/Seattle route, with average passenger loads per sailing rising 35% on the Kingston service and soaring 41% on the Southworth service, the agency said. “We are proud…

05 Dec

WETA Nets $16 Million Federal Grant for Ferry Electrification

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newselectrification, ferries, fta, weta

The Federal Transit Administration has awarded the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority a $16 million grant toward its Rapid Electric Emission-Free (REEF) Ferry Program, the transportation agency announced Nov. 30. The award means that four ferry projects at the Alameda Seaplane, Downtown San Francisco and Main Street Alameda ferry terminals are now receiving a significant financial boost from the federal government. “The grants help transit agencies make investments to increase reliability, improve connections to other modes of transportation, and bring older ferry systems into a state of good repair,” FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez said. The four projects,…

12 Sep

San Francisco Bay Ferry Posts High Reliability and On-Time Performance Stats

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsferries, weta

San Francisco Bay Ferry has been scoring high on reliability and on-time performance so far this year, according to new data released Aug. 30 by the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA). Since January, the San Francisco Bay Ferry finished 99% of its scheduled trips and arrived at its destination within five minutes of schedule on 97% of its scheduled trips, WETA data show. WETA began collecting the data after it launched a real-time transit information system in 2022. The same year, SF Bay Ferry launched a new Anchor Operating System-driven smartphone app that lets users subscribe…