b'MEMBER NEWS MEMBER NEWSNew Ferry Delivered to WETAT heSanFranciscoBayAreaWater Emergency Transportation Authori-ty (WETA), which operates the San Francisco Bay Ferry fleet, has taken delivery ofM/VDorado.Itisthefastestvesselin WETAs fleet with a service speed of 36 knots andisalsothefirstboatbuiltforWETA that can safely dock at any of the systems 12 ferry terminals.The 320-passenger catamaran is the first in a series of four ordered by WETA from the Mavrik Marine shipyard in La Conner, Wash. Construction management services were pro-vided by Aurora Marine Design of San Diego. All three companies are PVA members. The vessel was christened on May 26 and put into service that week. WETA plans to rotate the vessel among its routes to collect opera-tionaldataandallowpassengersacrossthe ferry system to experience the boat. The vessel offers expansive outdoor passenger space to allow more riders to experience a fresh-air trip across the Bay.WETA is building a world class ferry system for the Bay Area and adding new vessels like M/VDoradohelpsusgetthere,saidJim Wunderman, Chair of the WETA Board of Di-rectors. This American-made ferry enhances the capacity of our fleet and provides additionalhanced service to provide more flexibility forVesselconstructionwasfundedthrough flexibility for our operations, helping ensure weriders.InApril,ridershiponSanFranciscotheFederalTransitAdministrationand run the system as efficiently as possible. It alsoBay Ferry reached 55 percent of pre-pandemicthe State of Californias Proposition 1B in happens to be a beautiful ferry. We thank ourlevels, outpacing comparable regional agencies. collaboration with the California Office of local, state and federal partners for their invest- Emergency Services.ment in San Francisco Bay Ferry service. WETA and the Port of San Francisco opened theexpandedDowntownSanFranciscoM/V Dorado is the ninth U.S. Environmental Ferry ridership is on the upswing. Our abilityFerryTerminalinAugust2020.The$98Protection Agency (EPA) Tier 4 or Tier 4 equiv-to serve those passengers relies on investmentmillion project tripled ferry berthing capac- alent passenger ferry in WETAs fleet. In 2017, in new vessels and terminals and support fority and included the construction of a newWETA commissioned the first Tier 4 equivalent our highly skilled maritime labor force, said13,000-square-foot public plaza south of thehigh-speedpassengerferryintheU.S.,M/V WETA Vice Chair Monique Moyer. M/V Do- historicFerryBuilding.ExpandingferryHydrus. In 2019, WETA commissioned the na-rado is another step toward building our ferryserviceandwatertransitoptionsarecriti- tions first Tier 4 certified high-speed passenger system out to its full potential while enhancingcally important to our region, said Elaineferry, M/V Pyxis. Last month, WETA re-en-WETAs emergency response capabilities. Forbes, Executive Director of the Port of Santered M/V Pisces into service after a successful Francisco. The addition of the M/V Doradoconversion project replacing the vessels Tier 2 Under WETAs Pandemic Recovery Program,toWETAsfleetwillimprovetheregionsengines with cleaner Tier 4 engines.PHOTO COURTESY OF WETAwhich took effect in July 2021, ferry ridershippublicandwatertransportationnetwork issteadilygrowing.Theprogramdecreasedthat provides efficient, relaxing, and scenicWETA is expected to begin work on its first fares30percentacrossthesystemanden- alternatives to car transport. two zero-emission passenger ferries this year.FOGHORN 32'