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Owners of Balboa Island Ferry asking for more time to convert to electric engines

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The Balboa Island Ferry, in service for more than a century, could be 
grounded by new emission requirements, its operator says about hopes it 
can get an extension on a 2025 deadline to convert its three vessels to 
all-electric engines.

The daily ferry service transports cars, bicycles and pedestrians 900 feet 
across the busy Newport Harbor from Agate Avenue on Balboa Island to Palm 
Avenue on the Balboa Peninsula. At this time of the year, there are 
typically two boats running. On weekends and in the summer, three boats 
operate from  6:30 a.m. until midnight.

Annually about 1.5 million passengers and 300,000 to 400,000 cars cross 
via the ferry system, according to owner Seymour Beek.

New regulations rolled out in 2022 by the California Air Resources Board 
for tugs, ferries, sportfishing vessels and whale-watching boats seek to 
reduce harmful emissions by replacing or modifying older diesel engines so 
vessels meet the strictest of emissions standards, labeled Tier 4. It 
accompanies efforts to require all in-state sales of cars and trucks to be 
reduced to zero emissions by 2035.

Sportfishing boat operators received an extension to get to Tier 4 engines 
by  2035, but are required to meet at least Tier 3 engine standards by the 
end of 2024.

In the state, there are about 12 other ferries that fall into the short-
run category along with harbor crafts such as tug boats and other service 
vessels that travel less than three miles. Among them are the Angel Island 
Ferry in San Francisco and a boat that runs to Alcatraz.  There are also 
some agricultural ferries that are used in the delta areas along the 
coast.

“Ours is so unique and different,” said Beek. “People come to town, and 
the one thing they want to do is ride the ferry. It serves a useful 
purpose and is also a source of entertainment.”

Beyond its historical and fun factors, Beek said the ferry is reducing 
emissions just by carting the vehicles across the bay that would otherwise 
have to travel at least six miles from dock to dock. The ferry also is a 
way to help underserved populations have affordable access to the water 
and beachfront on the peninsula and the island, he said.

Beek, whose father came up with the ferry idea in 1919 and started the 
service using a rowboat with an outboard, said he has been looking at 
options for converting the vessel’s engines to electric power the last 
couple of years and it will be a “staggering cost,” about $4.5 million to 
outfit all three vessels, including coming up with the engineering for the 
concept.

“It’s very hard to find anyone that does this kind of engineering work,” 
he said. “It’s also dependent on Coast Guard requirements, which are not 
finalized yet.”

The ferry employs about 40 people and its fares – $1.50 for pedestrians, 
$1.75 for bicyclists, and $2.50 for a car and driver – are set by the 
California Public Utilities Commission, Beek said, adding the service 
makes very little profit.

About 15 years ago, the ferry updated its diesel engines to make them run 
cleaner, Beek said. They could be updated again to a Tier 3 diesel engine, 
he said, but that wouldn’t comply with the new requirements. So now, he 
said he is hopeful the state board might consider an extension on the 2025 
deadline to give him time to raise money and for the technology to come 
down in cost. He said he expects to meet with officials again this week.

State Assemblywoman Diane Dixon, a former Newport Beach mayor and 
councilmember, said she is willing to help with sponsoring a bill if 
needed.

“It’s more money than he takes in a year,” she said about the cost of 
going electric, even if a workable design can be found. “He just wants the 
same exemption to 2035, which is what sportfishing got.

“I’m confident we can work out a solution,” she said. “If not, I’ll 
introduce a bill to save the Balboa Island Ferry.”

Newport Beach city officials have also reached out to the California Air 
Resources Board on Beek’s behalf, asking for an extension. While CARB does 
offer some funding opportunities, a small, unique business like the Balboa 
Island Ferry would have difficulty being successful with an application, 
city officials wrote the board last month.

“This ferry is an iconic, historical harbor amenity that eases traffic 
congestion for area residents and visitors and provides an important 
secondary access,” Mayor Noah Blom wrote.

Beek said if he does go electric, he’ll need to purchase and install other 
infrastructure, such as charging stations, and his boats might have to 
look different. The electric batteries are much heavier than the engines 
the boats have now, he said.

When the regulations were being adopted, officials at the time said 
California is regularly reported by the American Lung Association as 
having some of the worst air quality in the nation, and harbor crafts are 
one of the top three equipment categories at the seaports that contribute 
to cancer risks from diesel emissions in nearby communities.

“Emissions from diesel vessels are a leading source of cancer risk for 
these communities, and transitioning to cleaner engines and zero-emission 
technologies will generate billions in health benefits, save hundreds of 
lives, and reduce a wide range of lung and heart illnesses,” an American 
Lung Association representative said at the time.

CARB officials did not respond by deadline for comment on the potential 
for an extension.

CARB, charged with protecting public health by cleaning up the air in 
California, first adopted regulations for commercial harbor crafts in 
2007, amended them in 2010, and then again now.

<https://www.ocregister.com/2023/04/05/owners-of-balboa-island-ferry-
asking-for-more-time-to-convert-to-electric-engines/>

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Owners of Balboa Island Ferry asking for more time to convert to electric engines Leon <leonleft@yahoo.com> - 2023-04-06 04:47 +0000
  Re:Owners of Balboa Island Ferry asking for more time to convert to electric engines justan <me@here.com> - 2023-04-06 09:40 -0400
    Re: Owners of Balboa Island Ferry asking for more time to convert to electric engines justan <me@here.com> - 2023-04-07 13:48 -0700

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