A new zero-emissions ferry powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology has arrived in San Francisco, where it will undergo testing and be made ready to carry passengers later this year.
The 70-foot catamaran is believed to be the first commercial maritime vessel in the United States to be powered entirely by hydrogen fuel cells, officials said. The ship is a key part of an ambitious plan by the San Francisco Bay Ferry to phase out a significant amount of its pollutants. diesel ships with zero emission vessels by 2035.
“We know the future is zero emissions with shipping,” San Francisco Bay Ferry spokesman Thomas Hall said in an interview Monday. “We’re really pushing the envelope.”
Known as Sea Change, the aluminum catamaran can carry up to 75 passengers at a top speed of 15 knots, according to the California Air Resources Board, which provided a $3 million grant to help finance the project. The ship will have enough hydrogen storage capacity for two days of normal operation.
Fuel cells work like batteries, using chemical energy or hydrogen to quietly produce electricity with minimal moving parts, according to the US. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies. Hydrogen fuel cells emit only water, responding to a critical need to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the environment.
Crews will begin training on the Sea Change and outfitting it for passenger use in the coming weeks, Hall said. After the US Coast Guard tests and inspects the vessel, she will begin carrying passengers later this year.
The San Francisco Bay Ferry operates 16 vessels to cities like Oakland, Richmond and Vallejo.
The Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry, which transports tens of thousands of visitors annually from Tiburon to the island’s state park, recently announced that it will convert to an electric-powered vessel next year.
“We are very excited that Angel Island will be the first of California’s short-haul ferries to go 100% zero emissions,” said Capt. Maggie McDonogh, owner and operator of Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry.
