Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry seals deal for electrified fleet

The Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry has contracted with an international company to lead the electrification of its boats — the first zero-emission fleet in the state.

The ferry service announced the new contract with EV Maritime, a New Zealand company specializing in electric ferry design, at Pier 9 in San Francisco. The ceremony on Friday included speeches from Maggie McDonogh, who owns the ferry service, and Christopher Luxon, the prime minister of New Zealand.

“I’m honored, humbled, a bit gobsmacked,” McDonogh said. “Everything we do on the coast impacts everything inland from us. It’s our duty to our follow humanity, that’s our obligation to make things better. It’s a global effort.”

EV Maritime will help the company design a plug-in hybrid electric vessel for the fleet. The hybrid vessel will be fully electric for shorter runs but will have the hybrid ability for longer trips. Two existing vessels also will be electrified. Electrical integration of the fleet will be done by ZeroMar, a Bay Area company.

The Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry, a family-run company operating since 1959, carries about 100,000 passengers per year. The service also offers whale watches, private charters and sunset cruises.

In May, the Tiburon Town Council accepted a $24 million grant from the California Air Resources Board to electrify the Angel Island ferry fleet. The funding will help the company meet a state mandate to make short-run ferries zero emissions by the end of 2025.

“This is a great example of finding creative ways to enable the funding that’s available to decarbonize the fleet,” said Michael Eaglen, the chief executive officer of EV Maritime. “This project is particularly exciting for the fact that it’s one of the first private vessels to be decarbonized. We’re really excited, we know it’s going to be a great project to work with Maggie on.”

The project is the first in the U.S. for the New Zealand company, which has been working to introduce electric ferries to the country’s commuter fleets. Eaglen said the company hopes the project will be the first of many in the country.

Eaglen said he reached out to McDonogh after a ferry conference last year in Washington, where McDonogh had spoken about her challenges in getting funding to electrify her fleet because it’s a private company, and most funding is for public ferry services.

“If we want to make effective change, it’s the public-private partnership and not being afraid to move forward,” McDonogh said. “I am so lucky to have the support of the town of Tiburon.”

The contract signing ceremony was also attended by Rosemary Banks, the country’s ambassador to the U.S., and U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, whose district includes Marin County.

“It’s just wonderful,” said Tiburon Mayor Alice Fredericks. “It’s so inspiring.”

The ferry service hopes to have the hybrid vessel operational by 2027, and the two other vessels converted by the beginning of 2026.