In June, the 400-passenger Argo became the newest vessel to join the WETA fleet.
BC STAFF REPORT
Published: July, 2018
In June, the 400-passenger Argo became the newest vessel to join the WETA fleet. The Argo is the fourth of seven new vessels that will join the SF Bay Ferry fleet over the next year. Already in service on the Alameda/Oakland routes, the Argo is also available for general rotation throughout San Francisco Bay Ferry services.
The third of four new Hydrus Class vessels, the 135-foot catamaran has a cruising speed of 31 miles per hour and is designed for high passenger on-boarding and off-boarding, which is critical to achieving fast turnaround times. Efficient, custom propellers provide low noise and vibration levels for enhanced passenger comfort, and the low-wake hullform lowers resistance and enables increased speeds in low-wake zones.
WETA’s San Francisco Bay Ferry ridership has increased 94 percent since 2012. SF Bay Ferry now carries more than 2.8 million riders a year from nine terminals throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. WETA is investing in assets and infrastructure to address the increased demand for ferry service in the Bay Area and is planning for more frequent service on existing routes. WETA also has plans to establish new routes and services to locations such as Berkeley, Mission Bay and Redwood City. WETA’s new service between Richmond and San Francisco will launch this fall.
The Argo joins her sister vessels, the Hydrus and Cetus, both added to the fleet in 2017. The Carina will launch in December 2018/January 2019. These new ferries support WETA’s strategic modernization and expansion plans by replacing the MV Encinal and Harbor Bay Express II, supporting growing demand for ferry services and contributing to the region’s overall efforts to reduce traffic congestion. At full buildout, the ferry system will increase peak period ferry capacity by close to 80 percent, providing the equivalent of 19 BART trains or 474 transbay buses during the morning peak-period commute.
