Flying ferries sound like flashy flights, but that could soon be a way for some waterborne commuters to reach Puget Sound.
Two local efforts aim to build a passenger-only boat with underwater wings that lift the hull from the water. Head to the coast without interfering with banks or piers.
These efforts are still under work, but could promise greener commuting and victory over climate measures that could potentially be the best for Washington state ferries. The state is still years away from building new hybrid electric ferries to replace the aging fleet of diesel gazlers.
Northern Ireland-based Artemis Technologies is partnering with Delta Marine, a local manufacturer of luxury yachts with the promise of a new walk-on “Efoiling” ferry for local travelers.
Kitsap Transit, which launched foot ferry services in 2017, has been working on building an “electric high speed foil ferry” since 2020, since receiving its first dose of public dollars to explore possibilities. Masu.
Obstacles get in the way of each project.
Kitsap needs more public funds to build the first foil ferry, estimated at around $15 million. This is a question of question that is questionable as Olympia lawmakers stare at a big budget hole.
Artemis has a local manufacturer, but there are no customers yet Buy a boat.
When sailing Puget Sound, these boats do not settle precisely where they operate. Technology still doesn’t have enough advances to work on a large scale Car Carry WSF Fleet Ships – State law prohibits WSF from operating passenger-only ferries -But the boat operates on a small passenger-only route that operates not only in Kitsap but also in King County.
Kitsap’s work shows that the boat could go further away – perhaps heading south to Bellingham or to Tacoma.
Still, both ventures imagine a return to the small walk-on ferry “mosquito fleet,” similar to a system in which the state moved commuters before taking over and building larger boats.
Artemis flying boat
Named after the hunting and nature of the ancient Greek goddess, Artemis started in 2006 as a high-performance racing team that would eventually compete in the international sailing competition of America’s Cup.
In 2017, the company discontinued Artemis Technologies with the goal of using race technology in the commercial maritime industry, including passenger ferries.
Today, the company has contracted with several European ferry providers and recently opened an office in Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York to help its entry into the US market.
That racing technology is perfect for passenger ferries, said David Tyler, who co-founded the company.
“The ride is solid. You don’t have a big diesel engine,” he said. “It’s a much more enjoyable experience and reduces the feeling of seasickness.”
Tyler has traveled through the United States marketing products for his company. Twice in recent months he has been pitching Seattle at ferry-centric meetings. For this story, he spoke through a video conference from the Passenger Ship Association’s Annual Meeting in Savannah, Georgia.
The partnership with Delta Marine, which makes carbon fiber boats, allows the company to build ferries “particularly for Puget Sound,” Tyler said.
In an email, Delta Marine vice president Michelle Jones said that her company began construction of a commercial fishing boat 50 years ago, but is in a position to build the next era of commuter ferries. The company said, “We manufacture high-end yachts using a composite process comparable to the latest construction technologies in the aerospace industry.
Tyler described carbon fiber composites as “half weight and five times stronger” of aluminum common to ferries.
Both Tyler and Jones said it’s important that Delta Marines are local – the company’s shipyard sits in the Dewamish waterway just west of Boeing Field – promptly damage to the hull Because it can be repaired and returned to service without a little late.
“There’s a race incident where the yacht is a T-bone and there’s a big hole in the side,” Tyler said. “As an American Cup team, we fixed it overnight and sailed the next day.”
Tyler said he has “positive dialogue” with King County, Kitsap County and private companies, but has not yet made any deals.
King County Metro spokesman Al Sanders said the agency is investigating a highly efficient zero-emission ferry for use in water taxi services with three boats and three boats. I did. It began operation in 2009 Links downtown Seattle with West Seattle and Vashon Island. The county’s Marine Division has contacted Artemis and other businesses about the construction of these vessels, but it’s far from doing so.
Anyway, Tyler had hope.
“We see Seattle in particular as a big opportunity,” Tyler said.
Artemis boats are available It travels up to 40 mph Approximately 2-3 feet away from the water. This is about as fast as the diesel-powered footed ferries in Kitsap and King County. WSF Boat Top out between 15-20 mph.
However, Artemis crafts are far more efficient than existing ferries. Tyler said his company’s electric propulsion system reduces fuel costs by up to 85% compared to high-speed diesel ferries. Approximately 1/2 times the manufacturing cost of Traditional high-speed ferry.
Efficiency comes from the use of innovations in the aerospace industry. As Tyler said, “I think we’re building flying boats. I think it’s something to say.”
2020, Artemis was part of a £33 million joint venture Together with plane maker Bombardier, he developed a zero-emission ferry with Belfast Harbor. University of Northern Ireland.
Two years later, Electric 150-seater ferry design It was released as a pilot project by Condorferies, operating between the British Isles, Channel Islands and France, similar to plans to test it between the Northern Ireland towns Belfast and Bangor. At the time, Artemis said the ferry. It was named Zero – I’ll do it It will start running in 2024, but it’s late Later this year.
Artemis’ American operations have been delayed several years, but Tyler said things will start soon.
“We aim to start construction later this year,” Tyler said.
Kitsap’s funding “Uncertainty”
John Clauson, executive director of Kitsap Transit, knows how to get around Hydrofoils.
As a child, Clauson, along with his parents, had water molecules built by Boeing, the experience he likened to flight, seat belts, “flight attendants,” and boats lifted 10 feet away from the water.
Clauson was in Georgia too. recentlyHe took an Artemis water taxi.
“It was very refined and very comfortable,” he says of Artemis’ boats, saying it’s not so fair to compare Boeing models. “You’re talking today about a pick-up to the 1960 Ford Mustang. There’s no comparison in practice.”
Clauson’s Agency – with Seven high speed ferries Connecting Bremerton, Kingston and Southworth to downtown Seattle is currently in the process of building a small prototype of all 150-seater electric fast ferries with foil.
The agency said the advantage of such a boat over the current fleet is the fuel and operational savings it brings. The agency estimates that high-speed foil ferries will reduce their net carbon footprint by 74% and reduce the cost of operation 35% less than the diesel-powered vessels they currently use.
The Kitsap project came from a regional transport effort to reduce emissions and interstate motor vehicle numbers. The effort is called the Joint Innovation Project and includes ports of Kitsap Transit, Anacortes, Bellingham and Skagit and Tacoma Power. This led to research funded by a $372,000 federal transport management grant in 2020, indicating the feasibility of a hydrofoil ferry, and estimated the cost of the boat to be around $15 million.
2022, Seattle Bremerton route has been chosen Of the 45 potential routes as a conceptual implementation of such a technology, the ferry is designed to travel between approximately 30 nautical miles between Seattle and Bremerton on a single battery charge.
The Kitsap foil ferry prototype has been designed by local naval construction company Glosten and Anacortes-based marine engineering company Bieker Boats.
Clauson said the scaled prototype would carry 20 people. Approximately $1.2 million has been reached by the Washington Department of Commerce. The additional $4 million funds generated by the state’s carbon market or climate commitment law should be sufficient to cover the structure of the prototype, Clauson said.
Due to budget issues at Olympia, Clauson said it’s not a banking business. Above Those state dollars until the county’s hands.
There’s not much guarantee of financial support from the federal government, Clauson said. Kitsap is still looking for US Transit Administration or FTA grants to pay for the design and construction of full-size vessels and coastal charging systems.
Given the Trump administration’s priorities, funding all electric ferries in the Seattle area seems like a long shot.
Shawn Duffy’s first action as Trump’s Transportation Secretary ends the Biden administration’s so-called “wake-up” policy, rolls back “burden and expensive regulations” and measures carbon emissions on the highway It focused on retracting rules requiring state transport departments for the
The White House also blocked Washington’s $71 million electric vehicle charger money.
“We need federal funding,” Clauson said. “There’s a bit of uncertainty going forward.”
Corrected: This story has been changed to show that Artemis will begin testing a hydrofoil ferry between the Northern Ireland city of Belfast and Bangor.
