Page 37: of Marine News Magazine (January 2025)

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Feature

Passenger Vessels “We now operate three ferries that cross the Mississippi forty times a day- we’ve been doing this for three and a half years … in a contract with the

Regional Transit Authority.” – Cliffe LaBorde,

Laborde Marine Services

Marine Money

Port of San Francisco was awarded a $55.4 million grant lion grant from the Federal Transit Administration.

which will go towards these efforts, complemented by state Also in New York Harbor, the Staten Island Ferry has agencies. In Alameda, the operator SFBF was awarded a been looking at retro? tting electric power capability to a $12.5 million grant from California State Transportation trio of boats. In October 2024, the New York City De-

Agency (CalSTA) to assist in deployment of electric charg- partment of Transportation (NYC DOT, operator of the ing stations on its piers; part of a broader effort at ferry service linking Staten Island to downtown Manhattan) an- electri? cation. Also in the Bay area, operators Golden Gate nounced that it would be testing the use of renewable die-

Ferry and the Angel Island Tiburon Ferry were also devel- sel on JOHN J MARCHI (built 2005), with NYC DOT oping designs for electrically powered boats. The ? nancial planning to transition from ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) details of those efforts are yet to be determined. fuel to renewable diesel (with signi? cantly less CO2 emis-

Across the country, in New York Harbor, a hybrid ferry sion than the ULSD) across its ? eet in the coming years. designed by Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) is under construction at Conrad Shipyard for the Governor’s Island Old School: Getting the Job done, too … / downtown Manhattan run. The 1,200-passenger vessel, In case you were wondering, conventional powered replacing a 1956-built SAMUEL S COURSEN currently boats have not disappeared. Earlier this year, Steiner Ship- serving the route, will bring students and professionals yard from Bayou La Batre, Alabama, delivered CHARLES to the one-time Coast Guard base in New York Harbor. NORMAN SHAY, (149 passengers, 7 automobiles), pow-

Charging infrastructure on the island (home to the New ered by two 600-hp Caterpillar C18 engines to Maine State

York Harbor School, the Billion Oyster Project, and many Ferries for its Rockland / Matinicus Island route. ESG is climate-related non-pro? ts) will be funded by a $7.5 mil- building LONG ISLAND, (1,000 passengers and 124 cars)

EBDG ESG www.marinelink.com MN 37|