By Mark Edward Nero
Vigor has been awarded the contract to build two all-aluminum, 400-passenger ferries for the Water Emergency Transportation Authority, a passenger ferry service in San Francisco. The contract now brings the total number of vessels being built by Vigor for WETA to five.
The hulls are to be constructed at Vigor Ballard, and the superstructure at Vigor’s Harbor Island shipyard, both in Seattle.
Vigor began construction on the first two WETA ferries in their class in the spring of 2015.
“It’s an efficient design and very environmentally friendly,” Vigor Ballard General Manager Tim Kolb said. “We’re extremely pleased to extend our partnership with WETA for two more vessels.”
“The four Vigor vessels will play critical roles in maintaining service reliability in WETA’s planned expansion of ferry service on the San Francisco Bay,” WETA Executive Director Nina Rannells said in a statement.
The 135-foot by 38-foot all-aluminum catamarans, designed by Incat Crowther, Australia, will feature MTU 12V4000 M64 EPA Tier III engines rated 1,875 BHP at 1,800 RPM coupled with ZF7600 reduction gears as the propulsion system. An exhaust after treatment system will also be included.
Additional vessel features include a beam: 38 feet; maximum draft 6.75 feet; 400-passenger limit; and top speed of 27 knots.