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Joining Together to Wish Smooth Sailing for Ferry Run on Soybeans

The Gang’s All Here: the people behind the ferry biodiesel project more or less left to right: Tom Bertken (CEO of the WTA), Mary Frances Culnane (Marine Engineer, WTA), Mayor Al Boro of San Rafael (WTA Board Member, also on the Golden Gate Bridge District Board), Ron Duckhorn (President, Blue & Gold Fleet), Teri Shore (Bluewater Network), "Oski" (as himself), Charlene Haught-Johnson (President, WTA), Capt. Frank Johnson (MARAD Western Region Director), Michael Murphy (Bay Area Air Quality Management District), Graham Noyes (World Energy), Wade Crowfoot (Aide to San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin), Paul Milkey and John Lee (both of the California Air Resources Board)

What do representatives from air quality regulatory agencies; entrepreneurial business; a ferry operation; local, state and federal government; an environmental group; and the Cal mascot "Oski" all have in common? On the afternoon of November 13, they all got together to talk about the first time that a passenger vessel has been run on biodiesel made from soybeans. Cal’s "Oski" mascot added a note of whimsy to this otherwise technical briefing and, as you can see, was a great photo prop.

This project required the collaboration of three great partners. The Water Transit Authority sought and obtained a $25,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD). Blue & Gold Ferry Service provided $57,000 in additional funding and dedicated its 400-passenger excursion ferry, the Oski, namesake of the Cal mascot, to run on biodiesel for five months.

The Business of Biodiesel

Two unlikely business partners in this mix: Ron Duckhorn, seasoned President of Blue & Gold Fleet, the Bay Area’s largest provider of ferry and water excursion services and wide-eyed Graham Noyes, entrepreneur supplier of World Energy’s biodiesel.

In describing his job at World Energy, Mr. Noyes said that he deals with "a series of naysayers," in convincing them that biodiesel is a clean and viable fuel option. By way of business incentives, Mr. Noyes said that Texas and Hawaii offer government tax incentives to cover the incremental costs of biodiesel fuel. California has only gotten as far as recognizing the legality of using biodiesel as fuel: it is necessary to get a certificate of emissions reductions before the state will be able to offer incentives. The European Community also offers biodiesel tax incentives.

Although a tax break would be one way to make smart business of biodiesel use, Ron Duckhorn characterized Blue & Gold’s interest by saying that it was "great to do something positive. We move people. As a business-person, this is good business. A huge percentage of people are interested in environmentally responsible operations."

Coming in January

"Circle Routes and Island Hopping" – a Bay Crossings exclusive story on recreational ferry trips around San Francisco Bay. Read about research underway by the GGNRA and the Water Transit Authority to provide fun links to Angel Island, Alcatraz, Ft. Mason, Ft. Baker, Pac Bell Park, Berkeley, Oakland and the Presidio. Not just for tourists but for local residents too!

Captain Frank Johnston, representing MARAD, modestly downplayed MARAD’s collaboration. Facing Ron Duckhorn, President of Blue & Gold Fleet, Captain Johnston said, "All the kudos belong to those with the vision. We hope this is just a start and that other vessels will pick up on it. Thank you, Ron, for being a leader."

Above, Mary Frances Culnane of the WTA points out the business end of ferryboat Oski, the exhaust pipe. According to Culnane, one bushel of soybeans makes one and a half bushels of biodiesel. It’s said to smell like food frying Left, "Oski" smells soybeans: regulators and environmentalists behind the biodiesel soybean project by the exhaust of ferryboat Oski

Thomas G. Bertken, the Water Transit Authority’s CEO, said that the Water Transit Authority was "thrilled to be partnering on this project," and that he hoped that the data collected during this project would be useful to regulatory agencies. For instance, the WTA will be testing, for the first-time-ever, baseline emissions from an in-service passenger vessel using protocol accepted by regulatory agencies.

Mary Frances Culnane, the Water Transit Authority’s Manager for Marine Engineering used a power-point presentation while explaining that Biodiesel is thought to produce less emissions than conventional diesel (except for NOx); the WTA will be monitoring emissions during the ferry pilot project to see how they compare. Jon Hie, Blue & Gold’s VP of Engineering and Facilities explained that, on November 5, Oski began using an innovative technology, Continuous Water Injection, to reduce NOx emissions. By misting water into the engine’s combustion chamber, this technology cools the combustion temperature, thus reducing NOx formation which occurs at higher cylinder temperatures. He also praised biodiesel as a "fill and go," technology, which requires no expensive alterations to existing engines.

Filling in for San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin, Aide Wade Crowfoot (left) presents a proclamation in tribute to the soybean fuel project to Frank Johnston of MARAD

Graham Noyes, Director of the biodiesel supplier, World Energy arrived on the scene in his Volkswagen Jetta fueled by biodiesel. Appropriately, just before lunch, Mr. Noyes offered samples of the biodiesel to attendees. Though some may have been tempted to drink it as an appetizer, they were warned that it would have an effect on digestion similar to castor oil.

Charlene Haught-Johnson of WTA, Oski and Mayor Al Boro of San Rafael

Paul Milkey, hailing from Sacramento’s California Air Resources Board to attend, said that the diesel reduction plan with CARB fits nicely with the attributes of biodiesel. John Lee, also from CARB, added that biodiesel is a misnomer. Since it is not really a diesel, it contains no diesel particulates.

Ron Duckhorn, President of Blue & Gold, posing with Oski, explained that the ferry operator’s affiliation with Cal began in 1978 as a response to Red & White Ferry’s affiliation with Stanford.

A content Teri Shore of Bluewater Network, the environmental activist group which has long advocated for environmentally-friendly technologies like biodiesel.