Page 13: of Marine News Magazine (January 2020)

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the best sightseeing and vessel operation on San Francisco ultimate credit, were very quick to catch on. Today, every-

Bay. At the same time, if the consumer wants another type one notices and comments on the cleanliness of the engine of service; then that is their choice. spaces, which still shine like the day we took delivery of the vessel. In terms of service, passengers now recognize no

Can a ? rm go green for the right reasons and fatten diesel odors, no exhaust, a quiet operational ride, no soot the bottom line at the same time?

on the vessel, and many other related improvements.

Bottom line is important. Humans are important. Busi-

Red and White Fleet’s lithium ion battery hybrid ves- ness continuity is important. These differences must work sel brought 20% fuel ef? ciencies over conventional together or there will be larger global problems.

diesel engine propulsion systems. You’ve said you can and intend to do better. Are we there yet?

What do your vessels run on now?

We are performing with 35% ef? ciencies over conven-

We have been operating on 100% renewable diesel pro- tional diesel – the 20% was the original goal; 35% is our duced by Neste MY, and we are getting good results.

actual results.

Your Enhydra is certainly not an average tour vessel.

Can you share the main challenges in its construc- Red and White intends to eventually bring the ? rst tion, how has the vessel performed post-delivery and hydrogen fuel cell powered vessel into service in the ‘lessons-learned’ to date? San Francisco Bay Area. When will that happen and how will you pay for it?

First, we had simply great vessel performance, great sup-

We are presently working with another company and port from All American Marine and great support from

BAE. This vessel involves very different operations for the the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to build a captains, and additional training was necessary as we rolled high-speed hydrogen fuel cell ferry to operate on San Fran- cisco Bay. This vessel, named the Water Go Round, will out this new technology. For example, silent operations in- volve the master to look at the monitors and not listen to show the maritime industry that hydrogen fuel cell vessels the diesel engines. Almost instant throttle response times, are a reality and zero pollutes here today. I suggest you go require a gentle touch with controls. Additional training to Sandia National Lab’s website as they have completed was also required for our maintenance teams, who, to their a feasibility study on both electric and hydrogen fuel cell

Credit: Red and White Fleet 13 www.marinelink.com MN