Vallejo Baylink Ferry recently announced that the long-awaited return of the recently repowered and refurbished Intintoli is imminent.
Vallejo Baylink’s Intintoli will be back in service soon after receiving a major overhaul that includes new, cleaner-burning engines as well as a completely renovated interior. Photo by Joel Williams
BC Staff Report
Published: February, 2012
Vallejo Baylink Ferry recently announced that the long-awaited return of the recently repowered and refurbished Intintoli is imminent. The vessel completed sea trials on December 23 and correction of final sea trial deficiencies is now complete.
The U.S. Coast Guard has obtained final approval of the vessel’s structural and stability calculations. As a result of these final approvals, the Coast Guard will issue a temporary certificate of inspection allowing Baylink to bring the vessel from Washington State back to Vallejo. Then, the ship will return when a suitable two- or three-day window of Pacific Ocean weather opens.
Upon arrival in Vallejo, there will be a final set of inspections by the local Coast Guard inspectors that will result in a final certificate of inspection. The ferry company will perform crew training and familiarization as well as prepare the vessel for passenger service. That entire process is expected to take about two weeks.
What’s new onboard?
The vessel has been completely renovated from keel to mast. Passengers will see new cabins with new amenities. The ceilings, decks, and bulkheads have all been replaced. The seats have been recovered. New video display monitors have been added in each cabin to provide basic ferry information. The PA system and the snack bar have been upgraded. The restrooms have been completely remodeled and enlarged. The heating and air conditioning systems have also been upgraded. The free wireless internet will be upgraded to 4G in February.
The engines onboard have been replaced with cleaner-burning Tier 2 diesels, producing 700 more horsepower per engine. The waterjets have been overhauled to produce more thrust with less vibration. The vessel will be about 2 knots faster than she was before, and the ride will be smoother and bit quieter. A vessel-wide control, monitoring and alarm system has also been installed that will make the vessel more reliable and easier to repair and maintain..
