By 2015, the Water Transit Authority plans to put thirty-one new passenger ferries on the Bay. These boats will share the 548 square mile bay with commercial shipping, cruise ships, fishing boats, excursion boats, the U.S. Navy, recreational sailors, powerboaters, kayayers, windsurfers and board sailors.

“Bay Area ferries already have the safest record in public transit. This is due to the strong hands-on experience of ferry operators. But because the number of passengers and boats will increase, the WTA will need to impose even tougher standards”, said Mary Culnane, Manager, Marine Engineering, WTA.

For the past year, Ms. Culnane worked on the WTA’s Safety Plan, which provided several key recommendations for maintaining the utmost safety of ferries as the WTA’s fleet expands. The WTA assembled a working group of the U.S. Coast Guard, California Maritime Academy, boating, fishing and yachting associations, ferry operators, unions and other stakeholders to provide input. The WTA also hired a team of top risk management consultants, ABS Consulting, to do the technical work of guiding the group in Risk-Based Decision Making processes.

“The Safety Work Group brought a lot of different people, resources and information together in one place. Lots of information existed at different agencies organizations but it needed to be pulled together,” said Mr. Mark Kasanin, Chair, WTA’s Technical Advisory Committee, maritime lawyer and ferry rider.

RISKS OF MORE FERRIES SIMULATED

Under the direction of the WTA, George Washington University developed a highly sophisticated computer model to assess potential risks of adding more boats. The model shows the interaction of weather, vessel traffic and special events on ferry operations. The WTA plugged in four different alternatives for adding more ferries. After the model was finished, the group discussed ways to mitigate the risks identified by the model.

Ms. Margot Brown of the National Boating Federation said, “The simulation model was indeed fascinating and pointed out the very real problems which may be faced by recreational boaters by the vast increase in ferry traffic in the foreseeable future. Designated traffic routes are under discussion and need to be examined at length.”

Marina Secchitano, Regional Director, Inland Boatmans’ Union of the Pacific commented, “This computer simulation model provides us with a wealth of information from which we can make life and safety decisions for passengers and crew.”

Ms. Secchitano is also a member of the Harbor Safety Committee and the WTA’s Board of Directors.

Key safety measures that were recommended include:

»  Adopting International Safety Standards

The WTA will join European nations, Australia and Alaska Marine Highway System in using international safety standards for its future fleet. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) created this high Speed Craft Code (HSC Code) in 1994.
“If we are building a state-of- the-art fleet, we have to use the most updated safety standard in the world – that’s IMO and nothing else! Safety in the Bay is first and foremost with me,” said Captain Nancy Wagner, a San Francisco Bar Pilot, WTA Board Vice President and member of the California Board of Pilot Commissioners. Captain Wagner knows first hand the risks of vessel traffic in San Francisco Bay as she has piloted large vessels into the Bay for over twelve years.

»  TWO OFFICERS
ON THE BRIDGE

One chapter of the IMO Code requires two officers on the bridge while underway. The WTA’s Board agreed to budget the cost of this extra crew member in its proposed budget. The second crew member will also be useful in watching for marine mammals in the Bay. Aggressive crew training and ship construction standards are also mandated.

»  Ferries using shipping lanes

Ferries would operate in the shipping lanes used by large vessels. This would help keep ferries out of recreational boating areas and reduce the effects of wake. U.S. Coast Guard Commander David Kranking, a member of the WTA’s Technical Advisory Committee, participated in the work groups and admitted having concerns about how increased ferry traffic in the Bay will affect other boaters’ safety. He said that establishing specific routes for ferries might be one way to resolve the issue. The U.S. Coast Guard could monitor ferry activity through its Vessel Traffic System (VTS) which is credited for the Bay’s good safety record since the seventies. There are a lot of details to be worked on - including finding ways to enhance VTS in order to accommodate the large number of vessels in the Bay.

»  MONITORING WITH Closed Circuit Television Cameras

Unmanned areas will be monitored more closely to protect passengers and enhance security.

»  Developing emergency training and conducting drills

Ferries are already available in the water in the event that a vessel runs into trouble and passengers must be rescued. Ferry operators already participate in drills during which they practice aiding a boat in distress.
The WTA’s recommendations advocate for developing and enforcing standards for emergency training and conducting drills that meet or exceed IMO and Coast Guard standards.

»  DESIGNING SAFER VESSELS

Bow loading/side loading will allow passengers on the new ferries to embark or disembark from the front of the boat as well as the side. This will help in vessel evacuation not only during emergencies but also provide quick turnaround times during daily service.

The WTA’s Safety recommendations are discussed in the recently released draft Implementation and Operations Plan (IOP). The Plan will be submitted to the California Legislature on December 12, 2002 after a series of public hearings in nine Bay Area counties during October. The Legislature will review and act on the WTA’s Plan in 2003. The primary source for funding more ferries and new routes is a proposed one- dollar increase to State owned bridges. After the Legislature considers the increase, voters would be asked to approve a spending plan for toll monies in 2004.