New fast catamaran joins San Francisco Bay Ferry fleet

The Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) of San Francisco, California has taken delivery of a new fast aluminium catamaran ferry for operation in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Delphinus was built by La Conner, Washington-based Mavrik Marine to a design by One2Three Naval Architects of Sydney, Australia. It is a sister of Dorado, which was handed over to WETA in 2022.

The new vessels have taken over the routes once served by the WETA ferries Solano and Bay Breeze, which have been retired. The addition of the Dorado-class vessels is part of a continued effort by WETA to increase its ferry capacity as a way to alleviate traffic on the congested highway system in the Bay Area.

The vessel has a length of 130 feet (39.6 metres), a beam of 35 feet (10.6 metres), a crew complement of five, and capacity for 320 passengers plus bicycles. Two MTU US EPA Tier IV-compliant engines driving waterjets deliver a service speed of 32 knots.

Several design modifications were made to the ferry in response to passenger feedback. Vinyl siding has been added to a portion of the second deck to provide additional shelter, and heaters will be installed in that section soon.

Improved bike racks are being fabricated and will soon be installed on both Delphinus and Dorado.

Delphinus will be operated by local ferry company Blue and Gold Fleet under contract with WETA as part of the San Francisco Bay Ferry system.