The contract awarded to Hornblower Yachts, Inc. last September by the National Park Service to provide ferry service from the City of San Francisco to Alcatraz Island has been contested by Blue and Gold Fleet LP in the US Court of Federal Claims...
By Wes Starratt, Senior Editor
Published: January, 2006
The contract awarded to Hornblower Yachts, Inc. last September by the National Park Service to provide ferry service from the City of San Francisco to Alcatraz Island has been contested by Blue and Gold Fleet LP in the US Court of Federal Claims.
Blue and Gold, which has operated the service for many years, is challenging the selection of Hornblower as the best proposal. Arguments are being heard on Feb. 14.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, at its Dec. 6 meeting, passed a resolution supporting the retention of San Francisco maritime union jobs aboard the Alcatraz ferry service and urging the San Francisco Port Commission to consider the economic and traffic impacts of moving ferry service away from Fisherman’s Wharf, on the assumption that the service would be moved to Hornblower’s docking facilities at Pier 33. The Board of Supervisors sent copies of the resolution to San Francisco’s Congressional delegation and to the National Park Service.
The San Francisco Port Commission reviewed the contract selection process at its Dec. 13 meeting. Terry MacRae, CEO of Hornblower Yachts, appeared before the commission and said, We already offered to speak with maritime unions about this service, as soon as our contract with the National Park Service is in place and crew members are hired.
And while speaking may be one thing, providing union jobs may be quite another.
MacRae also pointed out, The Federal bid prospectus for the Alcatraz service invited bids from landing facilities in the City of San Francisco, not specifically limited to Fisherman’s Wharf.
However, it is obvious that the Wharf is where the tourists are, and seems the logical place for ferry service to the Bay Area’s most popular tourist destination, Alcatraz. It is also the location of Blue and Gold’s docking facilities for its excursion boats, but not of Hornblower Yachts.
The National Park Service has indicted that the ferry service currently operated by Blue & Gold Fleet LP will continue without interruption at Pier 41, until the new contract becomes effective.
