Golden Gate Ferry to Build Eight New Vessels

Golden Gate Ferry will build a fleet of eight new hybrid vessels to improve operational efficiency and reduce emissions from its San Francisco Bay Area commuter ferry service.

Electrical contracting company McKay on Monday announced it has been appointed by naval architecture firm Aurora Marine Design to serve as the electrical systems integrator for the Liwa Class newbuild program, which will commence in early 2025 to retire and replace Golden Gate Ferry’s existing fleet of with a series of eight new 50.5-meter-long, 500-passenger catamarans by 2033.

Golden Gate Ferry is a commuter ferry service operated by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. It runs four passenger ferry routes plus special event services connecting Marin County with the City and County of San Francisco.

The new vessels will help the operator achieve greater operational efficiency and exceed the new emission requirements set by the California Air Resources Board's (CARB) Commercial Harbor Craft (CHC) regulations.

The vessels will utilize McKay’s custom human machine interface (HMI) and alarm, control and monitoring system (VCAM), as well as Danfoss’ hybrid power generation system. Each will be equipped with EPA Tier 4 certified MAN diesel engines with diesel particulate filters (DPF) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems.