Aluminum shipbuilder All American Marine Inc., Bellingham, Wash., on Wednesday hosted a keel-laying ceremony to mark the official start of construction on a series of new battery-electric vessels for San Francisco Bay Ferry.
All American was awarded a $46 million contract in December 2024 to construct three of the 150-passenger vessels for San Francisco Bay Ferry, with an option for a fourth vessel.
Aurora Marine Design, San Diego, led the initial conceptual design, and New Zealand-based Teknicraft is working with the builder as the naval architect.
Scheduled for delivery from 2027, the 100'x26' catamarans will service new routes that connect San Francisco neighborhoods Treasure Island and Mission Bay to the rest of the region. The vessels will operate at 24 knots, powered by a pair of Echandia 219-kW battery packs and dual 625-kW electric motors.
Wärtsilä is serving as the electrification systems integrator and will supply the energy and power management system, the integrated automation system, batteries, DC hub, transformers, e-motors, and the shore power supply.
The newbuilds will be the first of San Francisco Bay Ferry’s Rapid Electric Emission Free (REEF) Ferry Program, which aims to transition the agency’s fleet to zero-emission propulsion technology.
Over time, San Francisco Bay Ferry plans to phase out its use of conventionally fueled ferries. The final two diesel vessels purchased by the agency, Karl and Zalophus, joined the operator's fleet this year.
In April, Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Freeland, Wash., was awarded a contract to design and construct two 400-passenger battery-electric ferries under San Francisco Bay Ferry’s REEF Program. The first of the 142'1"x34'9" catamarans is scheduled for delivery in 2028.
San Francisco Bay Ferry is also repowering its 400-passenger Hydrus-class vessels to run on electric propulsion.
