Washington State Ferries (WSF) is embarking on an ambitious initiative to begin the transition to an emission-free fleet through a hybrid electric ferry system. WSF operates the largest ferry system in the United States. It is also the biggest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions of any state agency in Washington, burning 19 million gallons of diesel fuel to support 24 million passengers every year.
This shift to hybrid electric ferries is in response to governor and legislative direction as well as alignment with the agency’s own long-range planning initiatives. To transition to a hybrid electric fleet, WSF is working on the three key elements of the electrification system – building new vessels, converting vessels, and electrifying the terminals.
Timeline overview
2020-2040
Major project status
Pre-Construction
Funding
$1.33 billion secured funding | $3.98 billion total estimated cost
Major project alerts
Through a competitive process completed in Nov. 2022, WSF selected Hill International, Inc. and its team to serve as the General Engineering Consultant (GEC) for the electrification program.
Following a competitive process among Washington shipbuilders, in August 2023, Washington State Ferries awarded Vigor Marine a $150 million contract to convert the agency’s three largest ferries to hybrid electric power. This contract is for conversion of two vessels at approximately $100 million with a fixed-price option to convert the third vessel in 2025.
The Jumbo Mark II vessels are the largest in WSF’s fleet and produce 26% of WSF’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions. They also serve the most densely populated urban areas in Central Sound. This September, Vigor Marine will start work on Wenatchee, expected to reenter service next summer. Vigor will also begin converting Tacoma in 2024, with the option to convert Puyallup in 2025.
While converting the vessels to hybrid electric power, Vigor Marine will modernize the ship’s controls and other outdated systems. These updates will improve reliability and help ensure these 22-year-old ferries serve our communities for decades longer.
Jumbo Mark II Hybrid-Electric Conversion FAQ
Q: How will you convert the Jumbo Mark II ferries to hybrid-electric power?
A: Our existing Jumbo Mark II vessels use diesel electric propulsion. They have four diesel engines that power generators, and those generators power two propulsion motors on each end of the vessel. The motors activate the propellers to move the vessel through the water. When we convert these vessels to hybrid-electric power, we’ll remove two of the four engines and replace them with two battery banks. These battery banks will store and send energy to motors like diesel generators.
Q: How will this work improve vessel reliability?
A: While we’re converting the Jumbo Mark II’s to hybrid-electric power, we’ll also update elements of the 20-year-old propulsion system, ensuring these vessels can reach their 60-year lifespan. These updates will allow the vessels to operate more efficiently and reduce the amount maintenance and repairs that would take them out of service. Combining the conversion to hybrid-electric power with planned updates to the propulsion systems will also reduce service interruptions.
Q: Will hybrid-electric conversion impact the capacity, speed, or dock time of the vessels?
A: The Jumbo Mark II conversions will not reduce vehicle or passenger capacities (202 vehicles and 2,500 passengers) or vessel speeds. The addition of the battery banks and other systems will increase the vessel weight by about 140 long tons (2,240 lbs. per long ton), which is about three percent. Once the terminals have charging capacity, we’ll carry less fuel, compensating for the increased weight. Vessels will charge each time they dock at a charging terminal. We based the design on our current operational schedule, with charging times that fit within our typical 20-minute time at dock used for unloading and loading passengers and vehicles.
Q: Why convert to hybrid-electric and not full electric?
A: Hybrid-electric power is our best option for system resiliency. Keeping diesel as a backup power source ensures we can continue service while building terminal charging infrastructure and the case of any issues with the batteries or interruptions to our shore-based electric power.
Q: Are the batteries safe? Is there a concern for fires caused by the batteries?
A: We’re implementing a rigorously tested safety and fire suppression system on our Jumbo Mark IIs. Battery cells are isolated from each other and closed off from the rest of the ship, each regularly monitored for voltage, temperature, and humidity and installed with a cooling system. All battery-related equipment goes through destructive testing and a review by the US Coast Guard.
Q: How long will the batteries last and how much do they cost?
A: Each battery lasts approximately four years before they need replacement. Replacement batteries cost approximately $1.37 million. Each hybrid-electric vessel will save approximately $6.5 million in fuel costs in the same four-year period. Once terminals provide charging power, each vessel will save almost $32 million in fuel costs per four years.
Q: Will there be enough electricity to charge the ferries?
A: We’re developing agreements with local utilities to ensure that residential and business customers have the energy they need, especially on high demand days. In the instance that the vessel doesn’t have the time or energy to fully charge, we can rely on our diesel power.
Hybrid electric Olympic Class vessels
In fall 2023, WSF plans to post a new draft Invitation for Bid (IFB) for up to five new hybrid electric Olympic Class (HEOC) ferries. Interested parties can review and propose changes to the IFB before WSF issues the final IFB in early 2024. To receive interested parties email updates, contact WSFelectrification@wsdot.wa.gov.
New procurement opportunities for HEOC vessels
On May 11, 2023,Governor Inslee signed into law HB 1846. This bill allows WSF to explore new procurement options, including:
contracting through either design-build or design-bid-build;
opening the bid process to shipbuilders outside of Washington state, including a provision by which the department must award a credit of 13 percent of the bid price for bid proposals for vessels constructed in the state of Washington, which must be adjusted to reflect the proportion of the construction of the vessels that occurs within the state; and
using a one- or two-contract approach to accelerate vessel delivery, with a minimum of two vessels and up to five vessels in a contract.
WSF is working to implement the full legislation in our procurement process. We encourage any contractors interested in working on this project to review this legislation in advance of our contract solicitation.
Terminal electrification
WSF is in the process of planning and designing charging infrastructure at our ferry terminals. This effort begins with ensuring that each terminal will be able to source sufficient energy through collaboration with local utilities.
For a primer on WSF’s electrification efforts, please see this video:
For a more in-depth look at our ferry electrification efforts, watch the extended video.
Implementation schedule
The implementation schedule below shows the electrification of terminals and vessels by routes. This schedule was updated in July 2022. All dates are subject to change and are dependent upon additional funding.
Cost
Estimates in the 2020 System Electrification Plan show that it will cost a total of $3.98 billion to fund the program—adjusted for inflation in the year of expenditure. Vessel electrification is estimated at $3.7 billion and terminal electrification is estimated at $280 million.
The program is currently funded at $1.33 billion from grants, state, and federal funding. The newest, and largest, investment of $1.03 billion is from the 2022 Move Ahead Washington transportation package. The program still needs an additional $2.37 billion to be fully funded.
WSDOT and WSF are pursuing a number of additional funding opportunities at the federal, state and local levels to advance the electrification program for both vessels and terminals. To date, WSF has been awarded grants to support the conversion project including $35 million from the nationwide federal Volkswagen settlement, a $6.5 million Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant and a Marine Highway Project Designation and grant award of $1.5M.
Plans for action
We’ve been planning for ferry electrification for years. Both our 2040 Long Range Plan and System Electrification Plan have paved the way for how we’ll transition to hybrid electric. These documents have also been closely informed by specific requirements from the Washington State governor and legislature, outlined below.
2040 Long Range Plan
Our 2040 Long Range Plan (PDF 11.4MB), which was delivered to the Legislature in January 2019, recommends short-, medium- and long-term actions for WSF to pursue and focuses on a set of investments and service enhancements to be implemented over 20 years. One of the key recommendations is to move toward a “greener” ferry fleet with the goal of a reliable fleet that has a lighter footprint on the environment and outperforms carbon dioxide reduction targets. These goals were captured in the System Electrification Plan (PDF 4MB) in Dec. 2020.
System Electrification Plan
We developed a System Electrification Plan (PDF 4MB) that expands on the 2040 Long Range Plan (PDF 11.4MB) to evaluate alternatives and propose an efficient strategy for using hybrid electric vessels throughout the system. The plan was delivered to the legislature in January 2021.
RCW 70A.45.050 limiting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for state agencies by reducing GHG emissions by 70% by 2040 and achieving net zero GHG emissions by 2050
History of community engagement
2040 Long Range plan engagement
During the development of WSF’s 2040 Long Range plan, WSF conducted extensive public outreach, resulting in participation by more than 7,400 people. Four clear themes emerged from community engagement. One of those themes, Sustainability and Resilience, showed broad support for WSF’s investment in infrastructure to maintain reliable service in a changing climate and reduce environmental impact. Public comments overwhelmingly supported “greening the fleet.” One of the top 5 priorities identified in over 2,000 public comments was broad support for WSF to design resilient and environmentally friendly vessels and terminals.
Naming our ferries
In 2021, the Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC), conducted outreach to name the next ferry that will be built – a 144-car, hybrid electric Olympic Class vessel. Delivery of the first vessel is expected in 2027. After this public process, the Commission adopted a resolution to name the upcoming vessel the Wishkah. A similar naming process will be implemented for future vessels.
Upcoming public engagement opportunities
We will conduct community engagement activities for construction activities, including terminal electrification, and will provide information here about these upcoming activities. Stay tuned for more information about these efforts.
Electrification program
To transition to a hybrid electric fleet, WSF will:
Build 16 new hybrid vessels
Retrofit 6 current diesel vessels to hybrid
Retire 13 diesel vessels
Electrify 16 terminals
WSF will approach this transition in three key project areas over the next 20 years: vessel construction, vessel conversion, and terminal electrification.
Vessel construction
The System Electrification Plan calls for delivering 16 new hybrid electric vessels by 2040. WSF is seeking a shipbuilder to build the first five funded vessels – setting WSF on its new course – for a greener ferry system, with reduced emissions of up to 76% when the plan is fully implemented.
Vessel conversion
We are moving forward with converting our three Jumbo Mark II-class ferries, the largest in the fleet, from diesel to hybrid electric propulsion. In March 2023, the Invitation for Bid was posted to secure a shipbuilder to convert the Jumbo Mark II vessels. Each vessel will be at the selected shipyard for approximately nine months, with the Wenatchee conversion first between September 2023 and May 2024. The Tacoma and Puyallup will follow in the two subsequent years. We would like to acknowledge that the $35 million grant funding from the federal Volkswagen settlement, administered by the Washington State Department of Ecology, was instrumental in helping WSF launch the vessel conversion effort, one of the first funding sources for this critical work.
Terminal electrification
We are working with the five different utilities – Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy, Orcas Power & Light, Tacoma Power, and Jefferson PUD – that supply electricity to our terminals to supply additional power from the substations to the affected terminals. Most utilities do have enough electricity to supply the needs of ferries, but each utility has different challenges to overcome to meet this need. We’ll be working with utilities early and often as we collaborate to build a hybrid electric ferry system.
In addition, WSF is in preliminary engineering to bring power to Colman Dock in Seattle, to the Bainbridge Island and Bremerton terminals, and to the Clinton/Mukilteo route. Construction at these terminals is anticipated to start in 2025 and expected to wrap up in 2027.
Hybrid electric ferries
While WSF is one of the first – and largest – ferry systems in the US to electrify its fleet, this technology has been broadly applied throughout northern Europe with over 70 comparable vessels in service going back to 2015. In general, hybrid ferries provide additional system resiliency by implementing a second power source that allows a vessel to continue service if there are any issues with the electricity. In addition, having diesel as a secondary power source allows WSF to manage utility costs in a way that is most cost-effective while still providing GHG emission reductions. This model also facilitates an earlier transition to electrification, with the first vessels operating as hybrids prior to full terminal electrification.
Terminal electrification will take place in phases over the next 20 years, with routes in the Central Puget Sound electrifying first.
Hybrid electric ferries reduce energy consumption, maintenance costs, and emissions.
Terminal improvements (terminal electrification) and vessel improvements (vessel construction and conversion) will be required to electrify our ferry system.
Reducing emissions
We are beginning electrification in our Central Sound routes as they are the largest emitters of greenhouse gas emissions and electrifying these urban area routes can also significantly improve air quality for local communities. Jumbo Mark II vessels currently contribute 26% of the overall greenhouse gas emissions of our ferry system, and Olympic Class vessels contribute 25%. Replacing both will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 50%. Converting a Jumbo Mark II vessel will reduce carbon emissions by 48,565 metric tons/year – the equivalent of taking 10,000 cars off the road.
By 2040, emission reductions will include:
Reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 76%
Reduction in sulfur oxide emissions by 75%
Reduction in nitrous oxide emissions by 94%
Reduction in particulate matter emissions by 90%
These greener ferries have the added benefit of reducing operating costs, virtually eliminating engine noise and vibration, and reducing maintenance costs.
