The sun is setting on Washington state’s aging diesel-powered ferry fleet as work begins on new hybrid-electric vessels.
Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Panama City, Fla., has started building the state’s first new ferry since the Suquamish launched in 2018. The hybrid ferries will use batteries and diesel engines to cut emissions, with the first vessel scheduled for delivery in 2030. Eastern will complete the second and third ferries in 2031 and 2032.
Washington State Ferries is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases among state agencies. In 2018, then-Gov. Jay Inslee signed an executive order to begin electrifying the fleet.
The state has since developed a long-term plan to deploy 16 new hybrid ferries and convert six existing boats into plug-in vessels by 2040.
In 2019, the state struck a deal with Vigor, a Seattle shipyard, to build up to five hybrid-electric ferries, with the first due within three years. Negotiations between Washington State Ferries and Vigor over price and contract terms broke down, and the state ultimately relaunched a competitive bid for the project.
The three 160-car ferries under contract with Eastern will cost $714.5 million to build, plus additional costs for owner-furnished equipment, construction management, crew training, and risk contingencies. All told, the total price tag is $1.15 billion.
The Wenatchee, a 202-car ferry converted to hybrid-electric by Vigor, began sailing the Seattle-Bainbridge route last summer, making it the largest battery-powered ferry in North America. Two additional Jumbo Mark II-class ferries await conversion, but the state’s supplemental transportation budget adopted in March did not fund their upgrades.
The system has 21 vessels, 11 of which are more than 40 years old. State leaders say 26 ferries will eventually be needed. Washington operates the largest ferry system in the U.S., which transported more than 20.1 million passengers last year.
Construction began in Florida with a ceremonial steel-cutting event early Wednesday. Gov. Bob Ferguson did not attend because of Washington’s wildfires but recognized the milestone.
“In the past decade, we lost four ferries to retirement,” Ferguson said in a statement. “Today signifies a critical step in rebuilding our fleet with modern vessels that will allow us to provide more dependable service.”
Read the full article here
