Fourth High-Speed Environmentally Friendly Ferry

Kvichak Marine Industries and Nichols Brothers Boat Builders recently delivered M/V Taurus, their fourth high-speed, environmentally friendly ferry to the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) located in San Francisco.

WETA mandated that their new passenger ferries integrate as much green technology as possible and that emissions be 85% cleaner than the current EPA emission standards for Tier II (2007) marine engines. They started with a sleek, low wake 118-ft catamaran hull, designed by Incat Crowther of Australia, to minimize shore erosion from wake and reduce fuel consumption.

The vessels are powered by a pair of Tier II compliant, MTU 16V2000, 1410 HP Diesel engines with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems from Engine, Fuel & Emissions Engineering of California.  SCR, current state-of-the-art technology for diesel emissions reduction, injects urea into the exhaust before it passes through a precious-metal catalyst, converting nitrogen oxide –a toxic greenhouse gas- into harmless nitrogen and water.

Using a biodiesel/ultra-low sulfur diesel blend in conjunction with SCR, these ferries exceed Tier II requirements by more than 85% in trials and by 90-95% in actual operation. 

In addition to minimal shore impact and low emissions, the passenger ferries showcase several additional green features:
•    Custom exhaust systems minimize noise pollution on ship and shore.
•    Solar panels augment the electrical system
•    Sonar system allows the captain to detect and avoid whales and debris

Taurus is joining the fleet of three vessels already delivered to San Francisco, the M/V Gemini, M/V Pisces and M/V Scorpio.

Length, o.a    118 ft
Beam, o.a    28 ft
Draft    6 ft
Fuel capacity    2,400 gal
Cruising speed    ~26 kts
MTU SCR After Treatment System
(2) Northern Lights 65kW Gensets