Alameda’s Newest Eco-Friendly Ferry, Pisces

Friday, June 05, 2009

The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) and the City of Alameda today announced that starting June 8, Alameda Harbor Bay ferry riders will be treated to a daily ferry commute onboard Pisces, the Bay Area’s newest ferry. Pisces’ interior design responds to Bay Area commuters' desire for convenience and comfort. The ferry has several seating options to maximize passenger comfort, plus room for 34 bicycles, 20% more capacity than similar sized ferries on the Bay.

Pisces will initially be used on the afternoon Harbor Bay ferry service to San Francisco, sharing service with the Bay Breeze--the existing primary vessel for Harbor Bay. It will gradually be put into full Harbor Bay morning and afternoon ferry service once extensive overhaul of the Bay Breeze gets underway later this year.

Pisces is the second of two 25 knot, 149-passenger vessels recently built by WETA. The City of Alameda manages the Harbor Bay ferry service and contracts with Harbor Bay Maritime to operate the service. The City of Alameda chartered the WETA-owned ferry for use on the Harbor Bay Ferry service.

Like its sister vessel, Gemini, which set sail on the Tiburon-San Francisco commute in December 2008, Pisces is the nation’s most environmentally friendly ferryboat. Its exhaust is 85% cleaner than EPA emissions standards for Tier II (2007) marine engines and is ten times cleaner than existing Bay Area ferries. Pisces also incorporates innovative measures to protect bay and marine life, including low-wake, low-wash hulls.

Both Gemini and Pisces were constructed with $17m of funding from Bay Bridge tolls (Regional Measure 2) approved by Bay Area voters in 2004.