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.

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.”

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!”

 

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.