Three U.S. shipyards, including Philly Shipyard, have expressed interest in bidding for Washington State Ferries (WSF) long-awaited contract to build five new hybrid-electric ferries.
Earlier this year, Washington State Ferries invited shipyards to bid for contracts to build five new hybrid electric ferries. This is the first time in more than 50 years that the company has invited shipyards nationwide to bid for the construction of new ships.
The latest news shows that Nichols Brothers Boat Builders in Washington State, Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Florida, and Philly Shipyard in Pennsylvania have submitted prequalification materials.
“Our next step is to visit these shipyards while we finish the design for the new vessels,” Officials from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) said. “Later this year, we’ll ask the qualified builders to submit bids.”
Washington state law previously required that all new ships for the Washington State Ferries must be built by shipyards within the state. But new legislation passed in 2023 allows WSDOT to bid nationwide, making it possible for the agency to contract with several shipyards within or outside of Washington state, thereby accelerating the delivery of the WSDOT ferry electrification project, which was already significantly behind schedule.
It is worth mentioning that Washington state shipbuilder Vigor Marine was initially selected in 2019 to design and build five new hybrid-electric ferries for Washington State Ferries, but due to disagreements with the shipyard on price and other contract terms, WSDOT chose to restart the bidding process in 2022.
According to the tender documents, the hybrid electric ferry is a plug-in design that can carry up to 160 cars and 1,500 passengers. The propulsion system is designed and supplied by ABB, and the ship is similar to a slightly longer version of the diesel-powered Olympic-class ferries that Washington State Ferries received between 2014 and 2018.
The new ferry, by contrast, will have a passenger deck stacked above two car decks; water-cooled rechargeable batteries in the center, allowing it to sail entirely on electricity most of the time; and two diesel engines as backup power. By using green electricity, Washington State Ferries can reduce fuel consumption and emissions by 76 percent when its fleet fully transitions to hybrid electric ferries.
The tender deadline is January 2025 and the contract award date is February 2025. One or more contracts must build at least 2 new ships, with an option to build up to 5. For new ferries built in Washington State, WSDOT must grant a 13 percent discount on the bid quotation. To achieve earlier delivery, Washington State Ferries is leaning toward awarding the contract to two yards to meet its goal of delivering two ferries in 2028, two ferries in 2029 and one ferry in 2030 (subject to final bid prices and available funding), which would then be used on the Clinton/Mukiltio and Seattle/Bremerton routes.
Washington State Ferries, which manages the largest ferry system in the United States, aims to achieve zero emissions by 2050. The five new hybrid electric ferries will be the first of 16 new ferries to be delivered as part of the company’s $3.98 billion plan to electrify its ferry system. The plan also includes converting six existing diesel-powered ferries to hybrid electric ferries, retiring 13 diesel-powered ferries, and installing charging units at 16 terminals.
In 2023, Washington State Ferries has awarded three Jumbo Mark II class ferry conversion contracts to Vigor Marine,and now the first ferry is currently under conversion.