San Francisco
Bay’s Ferry of the Future, Vallejo’s M/V Solano, Combines
Speed and Comfort with Low Emissions
![](August%20Vallejo%20SOLANO%201.jpg) |
Here she
is, “the world’s cleanest operating ferry,” the
M/V Solano. |
By Wes Starratt, PE
Imagine moving at the top speed of more
than 40 miles per hour (38 knots) down the main ship channel
from Vallejo toward San Francisco, only 55 minutes away, and
you will get an idea of the thrill experienced by guests
aboard the inaugural run of the M/V Solano on July 15th. On
deck, you could sense the speed, yet the ride was smooth and
comfortable in the ferry’s elegantly appointed interior that
seemed more like the lobby of a luxury hotel rather than a
ferry.
![](August%20Vallejo%20Mayor.jpg) |
A proud Mayor Anthony Intntoli at
the ferry’s inauguration. |
But speed and comfort aren’t the only
features claimed by the new ferry. With her selective
catalytic exhaust treatment system, she also lays claim to
being the “cleanest burning ferry of its type anywhere in
the world,” according to Vallejo’s Mayor Anthony Intintoli,
who also serves as member of the Board of Directors of the
San Francisco Bay Water Transit Authority (WTA). The Solano,
“marks the start of a new fleet of ferries on the Bay,”
according to Steve Castleberry, chief executive officer for
WTA. “We plan to replicate its state-of-the-art clean
emission standards for the 31 new boats we hope to add to
the bay over the next 10 years.”
![](August%20Vallejo%20SOLANO%202.jpg) |
The M/V
Solano moving at top speed through the Carquinez
Strait. |
The M/V Solano was built by Dakota Creek
Industries, Inc. of Anacortes, Washington, in the firm’s 300
by 100 ft. assembly building, with a climate-controlled
atmosphere, which is required for the welding of aluminum
plate and other forms going into an aluminum vessel.
Launched on April 25th, the new 301-passenger, high-speed
aluminum catamaran was designed by Advanced Multihull
Designs of Sydney, Australia. She joins BayLink’s three
existing catamarans, making it possible to provide a
three-ferry operation to and from San Francisco, with one
ferry held in reserve. The 800,000-passenger-per-year ferry
system is operated by Blue & Gold Fleet LLP under contract
to the City of Vallejo’s Baylink Ferry System. The overall
ferry system has been a “$50 million investment” according
to the city’s transportation superintendent, Pam Belchamber,
who claims “we are not done yet!”
![](August%20Vallejo%20Pam.jpg) |
A few words from the boss of
Vallejo’s Baylink ferry system, Pam Bellchamber. |
The Funding Conundrum
With California’s budgetary problems, considerable
uncertainty was experienced in securing the $11 million
needed to build the new ferry. Some even thought that the
boat might never be built! Nevertheless, the first $5
million for the boat that was secured from the Metropolitan
Transportation Commission was matched by a $5 million grant
from California’s Congestion Relief Program. In addition,
almost $1 million was secured from the Federal Ferry Boat
Discretionary Fund to pay for the exhaust treatment system.
Mayor Intintoli pointed out that strenuous effort was needed
to keep “that $5 million from the state intact, and there
was a serious chance we might loose the funding due to a
slowing economy.” In fact, “we took a bit of a risk moving
forward with the building of the boat … not the least of the
risk-takers was our boat builder, Dakota Creek Industries”
which “put its people to work on our boat with the knowledge
that California was broke, and the Solano project had an
uncertain future.”
Propulsion and Exhaust Systems
The vessel’s propulsion and catalytic exhaust system,
provided by Pacific Detroit Diesel Allison (PDDA), includes
two 3,110 horsepower diesel engines, a series of reduction
gears, and two Hamilton water jets, each pumping 2,700
gallons of water per minute for an exit velocity of 70 miles
per hour.
The urea-based selective catalytic
reduction (SCR) system, the first marine installation of its
kind in the United States, was built by Steuler Industries
in Germany. It allows the Solano to surpass US Environmental
Protection Agency’s Tier 2 Emission Standards for the year
2007 by using urea to react with nitrous oxide (NOx) in the
exhaust to form naturally occurring compounds of water and
nitrogen. But, SCR systems come at a cost. First is the
added weight, more than eight tons (meaning fewer
passengers), then there is the added capital cost of more
than a half-million dollars, and finally the annual
operating cost of about $100,000 which includes 100 gallons
of urea per day.
There are a lot of congratulations to go around concerning
the M/V Solano and Vallejo’s efficient and very popular
BayLink ferry system. It will be interesting to see if the
vessel meets expectations and becomes the prototype ferry
for WTA’s regional ferry system.