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Hybrid Electric Ferries for Washington State

Elliott Bay Design Group Selected to Design Hybrid Electric Ferries for Washington State

Press Release – Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) was recently selected by Vigor Fab as the engineering firm that will provide functional design for the new hybrid electric ferries (Olympic Class) for Washington State Ferries (WSF).  EBDG is responsible for redesigning the vessels to accommodate the major change in propulsion type without disrupting structural components.  The ferries will operate on all-battery power during crossings or can revert to a hybrid, diesel-electric propulsion if required.  Battery recharging will typically occur dockside at the terminals during offloading/loading procedures.

Earlier this year, Washington State’s Legislature authorized a contract extension for Vigor to build up to five hybrid electric versions of their 144-vehicle Olympic Class.  The new-build authorization is a direct result of the 2040 Long Range Plan that identified the initial aspects of vessel and terminal electrification.  EBDG was a participant of the plan and is now leading the effort for an additional, supporting addendum – the WSF System Electrification Plan.  The System Electrification Plan will identify a detailed plan for deploying hybrid electric vessels throughout the ferry system.

EBDG brings a unique advantage to the project team with experience gained from design work on the last twenty vessels built for WSF.  Further, EBDG has been a major contributor to WSF’s electrification efforts thus far by supporting hybrid feasibility studies and life-cycle cost analyses for both the Jumbo Mark II and Olympic Class ferries.  “We have supported WSF with naval architecture and engineering support since 1992,” states Brian King, President of Elliott Bay Design Group.  “Our involvement in the hybridization of the ferries is a natural progression that we are immensely proud to be a part of,” King reflects.

Washington State Ferries operates the largest ferry system in the United States, with 23 vessels, 20 terminals and 23 million passengers.  The new ferry will utilize hybrid-electric propulsion, tapping clean Northwest hydropower.  The hybrid-electric design phase is underway with construction expected to begin in 2020 and delivery of the first vessel in late 2022.  The vessel is expected to be the largest new-build battery-powered ferry in North America.

See more information about this project: Washington State Ferries – Hybrid-Electric Propulsion Conversion Project

ABOUT ELLIOTT BAY DESIGN GROUP
Elliott Bay Design Group LLC is an employee-owned company with offices in Seattle, New Orleans, Ketchikan and New York that provides naval architecture, marine engineering and production support services to owners, operators and shipyards across the country.  Our team of professionals assist operators with determining the feasibility of hybrid and electric propulsion systems.  We engineer custom solutions based on each operator’s unique profile to maximize their return on investment.

For more information, please visit www.ebdg.com.

Construction Updates

Seattle, WA Colman Dock Construction Continues

Washington State Ferries is replacing the aging and seismically vulnerable parts of Colman Dock in Seattle in order to maintain its critical role as a regional multimodal transportation hub.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) reported that construction crews recently finished installing all of the concrete panels needed to form the flooring deck of the first section of the new main ferry terminal building at Colman Dock. Next steps include filling in the gaps between the panels to make one smooth trestle deck, this is called a “closure pour.”

This section of the new building will open in mid-2019. At that point, it will be used as the main ferry terminal facility while crews clear out and demolish the old terminal building, the one currently in use. Once the old terminal building is taken down, the remaining sections of the new terminal building will be built. The entire new terminal building and surrounding dock will open to the public in 2023.

The opening date of the new passenger-only ferry building and pier, currently under construction on the south side of Colman Dock, has moved to summer 2019 instead of this fall. The revised opening date allows the contractor to re-sequence the overall construction schedule so that WSDOT can stay on track to finish the entire Seattle Multimodal Terminal at Colman Dock Project on time.

See the WSDOT page for the Seattle Multimodal Terminal at Colman Dock Project to keep up-to-date on construction progress. View a photo gallery of this project maintained by WSDOT, too.

Photo credit: WSDOT