SF Bay Ferry wins $55.3M Clean Ports Program grant

A $55,386,000 grant to the Port of San Francisco included in the $3 billion of Clean Ports Program grants announced last month will be used by San Francisco Bay Ferry to create the first zero-emission, fast-ferry network in the U.S.

“This is a transformative project for the Bay Area that both SF Bay Ferry and Hanson Bridgett are honored to be playing a role in,” said Steven Miller, a partner at Hanson Bridgett who serves as general counsel of SF Bay Ferry. “This funding will benefit our regional infrastructure immensely while setting a new standard for ferry services in the United States. Its impact on the health of our community will be enormous.”

Most of the funding will be used on three projects key to completing San Francisco’s vision for an emissions-free fast-ferry network connecting downtown San Francisco, Mission Bay, and the emerging Treasure Island neighborhood. Those projects include constructing a Mission Bay ferry terminal, installing electrification infrastructure at the downtown terminal, and procuring an all-electric, 400-passenger ferry. The grant also includes $2 million for a maritime workforce development program.

“We are grateful for the U.S. EPA’s award to the Port of San Francisco,” said Elaine Forbes, executive director of the Port of San Francisco. “This major investment will allow us to complete the Mission Bay Ferry Landing and to achieve an electric fleet, with zero emissions. We look forward to working with our partners at San Francisco Bay Ferry and the SFPUC to provide Bay Area residents with the nation’s first zero-emission ferry network, and to bring ferry service to Mission Bay. These EPA funds will also support access to critical, well-paying jobs in the maritime trades.”

The Clean Ports Program grant is in addition to the $100+ million in local, state, and federal funding that SF Bay Ferry has raised to fund its Rapid Electric Emission Free (REEF) Ferry Program, a transformative suite of projects to transition the SF Bay Ferry fleet to zero emissions propulsion technology. The REEF program includes the electrification of ferry floats and the development of the nation’s first high-speed, high-capacity, zero-emission vessels. Last year, 2.2 million passengers traveled on the SF Bay Ferry, which already operates the cleanest fleet of high-speed, high-capacity ferries in the U.S.

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