After a long-anticipated refurbishment, the Mare Island, one of the newest and fastest boats in San Francisco Bay Ferry’s fleet, returns to the Bay to serve passengers on the Vallejo to San Francisco route.
After nine months of extensive renovations, the Mare Island prepares to leave a Seattle shipyard.
Published: October, 2012
After a long-anticipated refurbishment, the Mare Island, one of the newest and fastest boats in San Francisco Bay Ferry’s fleet, returns to the Bay to serve passengers on the Vallejo to San Francisco route. The extensive improvements, totaling $8.6 million, include renovations to the internal passenger cabins, repainting of the entire ship, upgrades to the vessel’s systems and navigation equipment and replacement of both engines.
The Mare Island left service to enter a Seattle shipyard in November 2011. After nine months of extensive renovations and servicing, the improvements were completed at the end of July 2012 and sea trials were completed in late August. Following a long sea voyage south, the revamped vessel arrived in Vallejo on September 7. Final preparations including Coast Guard inspections and crew orientation will be completed in the next few weeks.
"We are committed to working with passengers and community partners throughout Solano and Napa counties to ensure a convenient and sustainable ferry system over the long term," said Nina Rannells, Executive Director of the San Francisco Bay Ferry. "This $8.6 million investment by San Francisco Bay Ferry will ensure another 12 to 15 years of safe, reliable and efficient operation for our riders on the Vallejo to San Francisco route."
Completed in 1997 expressly for the Vallejo ferry route, the 350-passenger high-speed catamaran was named in honor of the Mare Island Ferry Company, which operated for many years carrying more than a million shipyard workers from Vallejo across the strait to the historic U.S. Navy shipyard, located on Mare Island in the San Pablo Bay.
