Page 37: of Marine News Magazine (January 2017)

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FERRY OUTLOOK

DOT was in the process of evaluating responses to propos- describing its 2015 order, WETA said in a prepared state- als that had been received prior to the end June deadline. ment, “The Vessel Replacement project is funded through a combination of Federal Transit Administration grant funds, Regional Measure 2 bridge tolls, State Proposition

Other Stakeholders; anything but ‘also-rans’

Separately, myriad smaller operators also ply the waters 1B grant funds, and Alameda County Measure B Trans- of the Paci? c Rim. The easternmost terminus of State run portation Sales Tax.”

All the way across the country on the East Coast, New

Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS), operator of an 11 vessel ? eet, is actually in the Lower 48, at Bellingham, York City’s Staten Island Ferry, serving 22 million passen- gers each year, continues to replace older vessels. The city’s

WA. Its routes extend some 3,500 miles, linking commu-

Department of Transportation received bids in September nities north through the Kenai Peninsula and Prince Wil- liam Sound and then west along the Aleutians to Dutch to construct three new doubled ended “Ollis” class ferries,

Harbor. In 2015, its passenger count touched 300,000. with 4,500 passenger capacity. Plans developed by Elliot

Currently, two new vessels (300 PAX/53 automobiles, Bay Design Group call for Tier 4 engines and Voith Schnei- each) are under construction at Vigor’s yard in Ketchikan, der (cycloidal) propulsion. A NYC posting indicates that responses ranged from Eastern Shipbuilding’s $250.9 mil- with delivery expected in 2018.

The new boats are designed with ro-ro style bow and lion, up to Dakota Creek’s offer at $333.1 million, with stern doors, which will speed up loading and discharging responses from Fincantieri, VT Halter and Gulf Island of cars (which, in turn, assists in control of labor costs) as Shipyard in between. The vessels (to be ? nanced with a mix compared to the AMHS existing side-doored ? eet. Plans of City and Federal funding) will be delivered in 2019 and 2020, replacing a trio of boats of 1980’s vintage and earlier.

are also in the works for replacing the 1964 built M/V Tu-

Also in New York, the city’s Department of Transporta- stumena. While a diesel propulsion design (from Glosten) has been developed, the timing and magnitude of available funding is still unclear.

The San Francisco Bay Ferry (part of the Water Emer- gency Transportation Authority, or WETA, a regional or- ganization), is heavily skewed toward providing high speed commuter transportation with its ? eet of 12 vessels, and is on a rapid expansion curve. Since its formation ten years ago, its view of ferries has shifted from “Plan B” for disrup- tions in surface modes, along with emergency response and evacuations, to a different focus which points to “… a sys- tem that seamlessly connects cities in the greater Bay Area with San Francisco, using fast, environmentally responsible vessels … and new docking facilities and terminals…”

The 20 year target is for 40,000 boardings per day and 10 million passengers annually, or roughly four times the level achieved in 2015. It’s an ambitious plan. Most recently, in 2015, WETA ordered two 400-passenger, 27-knot, passen- ger-only catamarans from Kvichak Marine Industries (now merged into Vigor), with $32 million slated for design and construction. Delivery is set for 2017 for the Incat Crowther all-aluminum design. The propulsion package utilizes MTU 12V4000 M64+ engines (EPA Tier 3 compliant, with Tier 4 achieved with after-treatment of exhaust) rated 1950 BHP @ 1830 RPM- tied to ZF7600 reduction gears.

In September, 2016, Dakota Creek Industries (Ana- cortes, Washington) received a $62 million award to build three high speed vessels with 445 passenger capacity. A creative approach to ? nancing buttresses these order. In www.marinelink.com MN 37

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