San Francisco Bay Ferry’s newest high-speed passenger vessel, MV Karl, was welcomed to the fleet Friday at a ceremony at the San Francisco Ferry Terminal.
The new ferry was funded in part by Regional Measure 1, which is administered by MTC's Bay Area Toll Authority.
MV Karl is the cleanest diesel high-speed passenger ferry in the nation and the first delivered to meet the California Air Resources Board's new emissions limits for commercial harbor craft. The ferry is powered by four U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tier 4 engines and is equipped with diesel particulate filters, a first in the passenger ferry industry.
“We’re so proud of the work SF Bay Ferry has done along with CARB, the U.S. Coast Guard and other partners to advance clean maritime technology in the Bay Area,” said SF Bay Ferry Board of Directors Chairman Jim Wunderman. “It’s exciting to see state-of-the-art innovation providing passengers with safe, reliable and affordable transportation across all of the communities we serve.”
MV Karl is among the last diesel vessels that will be added to the SF Bay Ferry Fleet. CARB recently approved SF Bay Ferry’s plan to accelerate adoption of zero-emission technology for new short-run and existing transbay routes. SF Bay Ferry’s first five battery-electric ferries are currently under construction, with the first vessel expected to be in service in early 2027.
MV Karl’s name was the result of a region-wide selection process of names submitted by Bay Area youth. The name was chosen to honor the region’s iconic and enduring fog, which has been dubbed “Karl the Fog” by the Bay Area zeitgeist. The name received the most votes in a public poll and was approved by SF Bay Ferry’s Board of Directors.
The vessel includes a fully enclosed upper deck area that increased indoor capacity by 73 seats contributing to its total capacity of 320 passengers. The ferry also has enhanced bench and bar-style seating outdoors and, like the previous vessels in its class, provides optimal bike storage and an attractive bar layout.
The four-engine configuration on MV Karl also enhances service reliability given that the vessel is capable of maintaining high speeds with only three engines in operation. This built in redundancy will also increase fuel efficiency on routes where the top speed of 36 knots is not required.
SF Bay Ferry plans to begin service on MV Karl on the Vallejo route in May. Like its Dorado class predecessors, MV Karl is fast and compact enough to operate on all current SF Bay Ferry routes. The additional indoor seating makes it a good option for the Vallejo route given very high ridership levels during commute and peak weekend trips.
The vessel was built by Mavrik Marine in La Conner, Wash., and is the third of four vessels in its class, preceded by MV Dorado and MV Delphinus. The fourth and final vessel in the Dorado class, MV Zalophus, is expected to arrive in the Bay Area at the end of the year. MV Karl was designed by One2Three Naval Architects and construction management services were provided by Aurora Marine Design.
SF Bay Ferry is a regional public transit agency tasked with developing, operating and expanding ferry service on the San Francisco Bay and with coordinating the water transit response to regional emergencies. The agency operates ferry routes connecting the cities of Alameda, Oakland, Richmond, San Francisco, South San Francisco and Vallejo.
Submit your comment
In order to receive a reply to your comment, please provide an email address.