The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority of Pinellas County in Florida will soon launch a new ferry service with two recently acquired vessels.
The new service will connect Tampa and Downtown St Petersburg. It will commence following the refurbishment of the acquired ferries.
The 1997-built Bay Breeze (pictured) recently arrived in Tarpon Springs and is now undergoing refurbishment for passenger service.
The second vessel, the 1990-built Bay Clipper (formerly San Juan Clipper), is expected to arrive in Pinellas County in the coming weeks and will also undergo refurbishment at Tarpon Marine Service.
The vessel purchase was facilitated by Hubbard’s Ferry, which will operate the service between Downtown St Petersburg and Tampa once service begins later this year.
The purchase and refurbishment of both vessels is funded by a US$4.8 million Federal Transit Administration grant. The refurbishment and inspections are estimated to take several months before ferry service begins later this year.
Bay Breeze was previously operated in the San Francisco Bay Area by the Water Emergency Transportation Authority. She can carry 250 passengers at speeds of up to 27 knots.
Bay Clipper was formerly operated by Seattle-based tour company FRS Clipper and has since been replaced by the recently delivered Emerald Clipper. She has seating for 149 passengers.